Patriotic and/or Critical
Posted by Maryna Rakhlei in categories EU on January 21st, 2010
Lately, I am more often asked why I am not patriotic. But I am.
It’s a strange notion anyway: Loving the country where you where randomly born and being loyal to this country is pretty irrational. But it’s something you can’t help doing. The rational part of it involves questioning everything, in particular government policies and actions, which is followed by criticism or praise. Criticism and/or praise out of love and loyality.
Patriotism, for me, involves paying attention and taking action, having obligations and rights. Being a part of something, you are responsible for the whole.
As a Belarusian I have always followed events in neighbouring Ukraine, and recently, ever more closely. Ukraine and Moldova are the only two post-Soviet countries to increase the power of the parliament over the president, the only two which are not afraid of a change of power. Look at Kiev and Chisinau! “Chaos,” would you say? “Possibilities” is my first thought, “no fear of change” is my second.
Orange Revolution leader Viktor Yushchenko won by a slender majority five years ago and now, with his miserable 5 percent of votes, he will depart without transferring power to an appointed successor as has become traditional in this part of Europe. Moreover, Kiev’s foreign policy won’t suffer any substantial changes. And society seems to accept this, even if it considers the elections to be a choice between lesser evils.
And that’s patriotism for me: Having your point of view and having your say, making decisions with both your heart and your mind.
Don’t Stop the Flow
Posted by Maryna Rakhlei in categories EU on January 5th, 2010
It’s the New Year! Time to negotiate new oil and gas contracts!
Every year people hope that the consumers of Russian gas and oil will agree with Moscow on new deliveries. But same old, same old. We don’t even know the true nature of the political and economic deals that underlie the negotiations every December and January. Official information is very scarce.
If you go to a shop for a bottle of cognac, you look at the price and take out your wallet to pay. The energy problems are the result of lack of transparency, of the triumph of geopolitical considerations over mathematical formulas in calculating energy prices and of the desperate dependence of a number of countries on Russian supplies.
I get the impression that the Kremlin considers the annual hydrocarbon disputes to be mere lovers’ tiffs: “Hey, no harm done, we’re still neighbours.”
One year ago Ukraine, and later a large chunk of the EU, suffered shortages of Russian gas. The year 2010 started with the Belarus-Russia oil row. Funnily enough, the oil dispute arrived at the same time as the new Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, which came into existence on 1 January. Moscow and Minsk are now continuing talks on a new oil agreement, following a spat over transit tariffs.
Russia says oil deliveries to Belarus were stopped on 1 January and resumed three days later. Belarus says that oil is being delivered continuously. But it has threatened to cut electricity supplies to Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave due to the lack of a tariff agreement. Lithuania, which was forced to close its Ignalina nuclear plant at the end of last year is watching nervously.
Belarus buys Russian oil for internal purposes as well as for refining and selling it on to Europe. To get a share of Belarus’ oil incomes, Russia imposed a reduced duty – around one third of the levy applied to other countries – on crude oil sold to Belarus. This arrangement expired last year, with Minsk claims that crude oil should be supplied free of duty within the Customs Union. Moscow offers no reductions. But could think of some 5 million tons of oil that Belarus will be getting duty-free for its internal needs.
Meanwhile frosts, expectations of an improving economy and the Minsk-Moscow dispute have catapulted crude oil prices to their highest close in nearly 15 months, hurdling $81 a barrel.
And it remains highly symbolic that the commercial situation around the oil pipeline, which is called Druzhba (the Russian word for “friendship”), is as messy as the broader efforts to create a Russia-Belarus strategic partnership. Russian deputy prime minister Igor Sechin assured that talks on oil deliveries would be continued due to the pair’s “exclusive” bilateral relations. And the talks are still going on…
Mamma mia! Berlusconi in Minsk!
Posted by Maryna Rakhlei in categories EU on December 2nd, 2009
A short trip for Italian PM Berlusconi — another political breakthrough for Belarus.
Last time Belarus saw such a high ranking visit of a Western leader was almost 16 years ago. In January 1994 the then-US President Clinton came to support a young independent country on its way to nuclear disarmament. In February 2009 the EU’s high representative Solana came to encourage democratic reforms. The aims of signore Berlusconi were not that evident. One doesn’t expect them to become clear.
The Italian PM, facing criminal trials at home, paid a visit to Belarus on 30 November and spent three hours in Minsk. His public remarks focused on bilateral trade and investment. He hailed the opportunities to be created by the customs union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia and the creation of a joint industrial zone in the town of Brest on the Polish border.
Berlusconi assured Lukashenka that Belarusians loves him, as has been proven by Belarus election results (elections which the EU actually views as having being rigged).
A number of documents were signed, for instance with Italy’s industrial group Finmeccanica on co-operation in the fields of transportation, energy, space, security and security systems. Belarus is an important transit country for gas and oil.
The Belarusian president was satisfied: Minsk got more than it expected. He said he viewed Berlusconi’s visit as a gesture of support in the international arena and thanked Rome for its efforts to promote Belarus-EU relations.
“All of Europe is looking closer at Belarus and everybody wants to co-operate with us,” Lukashenka said, while visiting an enterprise for blind people, on 1 December.
The Italian opposition has already wondered about the aims of the trip to Minsk and demanded that Berlusconi to explain his remarks before parliament. The Belarusian opposition never expected any explanations: Why is Minsk so satisfied with the signed documents? Why should they be signed in personal presence of Berlusconi?
Anyway the visit of the leader of the country which is member of EU and NATO was too short, more of a symbolic than substantial character.
One of the questions could be about the interest of Italian business in the the gambling business in Belarus, which Berlusconi is rumoured to have lobbied for in Minsk. Kiev and Moscow have banned casinos, so Minsk could be a cosy little capital in which to host them.
In the end business will do the talking. Berlusconi and Lukashenka are moguls who combine their private interests with those of the state. Never mind the explanations.
Medvedev Goes West
Posted by Maryna Rakhlei in categories EU on November 25th, 2009
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has given his first ever interview to Belarusian journalists from state and independent media. Nothing special, you might say? You’d be right.
The invitation to Moscow came out of the blue. Why? Why now? What would be his message? Was he going to spank Lukashenka, the Belarusian president, in Lukashenka’s own usual manner? Lukashenka has a tradition of inviting several dozen representatives of Russian regional media to first impress them with tales of enterprises in local villages and then to follow-up with three hours of harsh anti-anything rhetoric on national TV and radio.
Medvedev was highly diplomatic and discreet though. No sensations.
The Russian President called on Lukashenka to restrain himself from making “politically incorrect remarks” about the Russian government.
He assured that Russia had never tried to interfere in Belarusian internal affairs.
For instance, Medvedev said he had never, personally or officially, asked his Belarusian counterpart or other Belarusian officials to recognise the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He said it would be good for Russia, but that this is an internal affair of Belarus. And that it was Mr Lukashenka who had himself repeatedly assured the Russian leader that Belarus would consider this issue favourably.
Medvedev said he plans to hold regular meetings not only with Belarusian journalists, but also Belarusian politicians and probably even with the opposition. When foreign representatives come to Moscow they also meet with Russian opposition: It’s normal, he said.
The Russian president calculated that Russia has invested about $50 billion in the Belarusian economy since 1991. During the last two and a half years Minsk received loans from Moscow worth almost $3 billon. Next year Russia will sell natural gas to Belarus at a rate that is 30-40 percent cheaper than for other countries in the region.
He even underlined that Belarus should be pronounced “Belarus” not “Belorussia,” as most Russians say it.
In a contradiction of the same message, the news editor of the biggest Belarusian portal, TUT.by, found herself sitting in front of a sign which said TYT.ru. Freud would have loved it! As if psychologically, the Russians do not see any other domains in the region but their own, even internet domains.
It was also interesting that Belapan, the news agency I work with, managed to win over the Kremlin in bargaining about the conditions of the media invitation.
The Russian press-service originally asked us not to report that we had been invited, refused to say who else was coming, what would be the length and format of the meeting and requested three our questions in advance. All this would be OK, I suppose. But they also told us that any articles would have to be based on the Kremlin’s official transcript of the discussions and could only be published after a date that they would reveal down the line.
An hour after Belapan sent an email explaining the reasons why it was forced to refuse the invitation, the Kremlin press-service called the office to inform us that they had changed the conditions for Belarusian journalists. The Belarusian media even got a 30-minute head start on the publication embargo.
So why was Medvedev talking to the Belarusian press, which actually enjoyed his witty and self-assured manner?
Russian experts say: It’s much ado about nothing. His messages have anyway lost their value. Only time will show what it was all about.
Belarusian experts say Medvedev is trying to rattle the nerves of his Belarusian counterpart. It’s in the Russian tradition: As relations with Minsk officials get less friendly, they try to mend ties with opposition. Or: It was another way for Medvedev to show he is an independent political figure who might run against Vladimir Putin in 2012.
Lukashenko reacted in his usual manner. He said it was a “meaningless” exercise. He wondered why the Kremlin invited journalists who “hate the Russians’ guts”. They could have asked his advice about how to handle the media, he said.
On 27 November Medvedev will be in Minsk for a regional meeting. We will probably learn more in Chapter 2 of this political tale.
Life, I Love You!
Posted by Maryna Rakhlei in categories EU on October 15th, 2009
Interesting to follow the efforts of Europe (EU, CoE) to prevent the execution of two Belarusians. They were sentenced to death for alleged murders.
Usually Minsk and Brussels discuss free speech and freedom of assembly, now it’s time for the right to life. Now Europe is on the mission to save the murderers.
Actually Belarusian authorities consider the right to life and human dignity to be the most important. And with life everything is more or less clear: according to Amnesty International annually 1-3 people are convicted to death in Belarus. With the right you can never be sure: Belarusian Themis and her woman’s reason is sometimes difficult to follow.
For instance Vasil Yuzepchuk, who has two previous convictions, allegedly strangled six old women while his accomplice was holding them. Five of the victims were more than 70 old. He was also found guilty of assault and robbery and got capital sentence.
Yuzepchuk’s lawyer argues that the investigation and trial were fundamentally flawed, and that his client was beaten in detention. He says, Yuzepchuk belongs to the marginalised Roma ethnic group, doesn’t have an internal passport, is illiterate and does not know the months of the year.
But there’s a different very well known case. Three men and a woman killed a man from their village Pukhavichy. They stalked their victim for several hours before attacking him with axes and killing him with blows to the head. They set the body on fire and then went to a cafe to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
The suspects were released from pre-trial detention after less than a month by order of the President Lukashenka. Moreover, the Belarusian leader told Supreme Court Chairman to sympathise with them. “The victim was a villain, terrorised people, the entire village,” Mr. Lukashenka said. “If the men took that step, they probably were angered indeed and all ordinary people are on their side.”
In April three men and a woman were found guilty of premeditated murder and got unprecedentedly lenient sentences. Two men got 3 and 5 years in prison under the Criminal Code’s article, which provides for a prison term of between eight and 25 years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty. The rest received 2 years restricted freedom.
Then President Lukashenka has pardoned those who got prison sentences, the third guy was amnestied…
That’s why it’s impossible to say if the EU efforts to save two convicts could be successful. As all people are equal but some are still a tiny bit more equal.
… aaand I did it again 
I wanted to write something positive! Probably next time.
I’ll finish with a famous Soviet song performed by a Belarusian babushka — babulya. The hit goes like that: “Life, I love you, and I hope it’s not all on one side”.
Some Tons of Belarusian Socks?
Posted by Maryna Rakhlei in categories EU on September 26th, 2009
Global economic crisis demands new extensive measures. Belarusian authorities as always come up with fresh, innovative ideas.
Agriculture in Belarus is loss-making but the authorities are still proud of it. Within the next five years the modernisation of the whole industry is to be sped up to reach the European level of production. The new 2011-2015 rural development programme is aimed at increasing the efficiency of farming and reaching a profitability rate of 25 to 30 percent…
Hrodna region which borders on Lithuania and Poland already suggested selling stones to EU. Why not? We have abundance of those on our fields. The pain will be just to collect and wash them. The product made in Belarus is export ready.
But the best idea however belongs to the government. The power-wielding structures — Ministry of Internal, KGB (!), Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Emergency Situations (!), Defence Ministry, State Customs Committee — received a list with recommended number of tons of Belarusian goods to be sold to the respective ministries abroad by the end of the year. There’s everything on the list: Belarusian sweets, furniture, tracksuits, rubber shoes, TV-sets, fridges… Luckily no stones.
State Customs Committee for eg. is expected to sell 700 tons of beetroot a carrot, 200 tons of sausage, 40 000 shirts, 50 000 boxers, etc. KGB officers have it easier, their list is almost 5 times smaller. But not that of the Ministry of Defence, they have to find a purchaser for the furniture (equivalent to 23 million dollars); 11,5 tons of cheese and cottage cheese; 2,15 tonsof sausage. Hope, they will have time and resources for the rest of the duties.
Customs Committee head Alyaksandr Shpilewski explained the recommendation was not really about selling the goods, but helping Belarusian enterprises find contacts and partners abroad.
So, has the list been prepared for power departments for them to force their counterparts buy Belarusian products? Or the other way round: their strategy will be forcibly pleading for sympathy? “A couple tons of Belarusian socks, please?… Pleeeease! Oh, pleeeease!”
You never know which could work better in these difficult times.
I Am that I Am
Posted by Maryna Rakhlei in categories EU on September 17th, 2009
Lukashenka goes for the West. That’s what Russian press understood from his working visit to Vilnius on September’16. First time since 1998 he went to Lithuania and – to EU.
But no, he is not going to take sides between Russia and EU.
While in Vilnius he was talking about the importance of the relations with Brussels and Belarus’ contribution into European security. He said Minsk was not going to make any special moves to impress the West to have the sanctions lifted: if EU wanted to improve relations and have a dialogue, it’d just do this.
At the same time he tried to comfort Moscow telling Lithuanian journalists that Belarusian parliament would look into the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in October. Underlining Russia is an important partner for Minsk.
Lukashenka repeated the usual things he instructs his ministers with. Interesting enough that the same rhetoric sounds very different outside Belarus.
Back home his quotes are to be written up and analysed, they pave the way for the development of the country. In Vilnius he seemed to be defending his right to be the way he is, to rule the country his way. He went on the defensive simply to be understood.
Love me or leave me, is the message to the EU. You won’t change me but we could try and come to a compromise to normalise relations.
PS
It’s also that Lukashenka was pretty nervous. That’s very understandable: his offices have everything under control in Minsk, when and where everyone goes, they line up journalists and usually decide on the questions.
The change of the situation is clearly seen in his pictures. The limited number of Belarusian photographers who work with the President can take pictures of him only from certain perspectives, afterwards the pictures are edited in Photoshop. In Vilnius any photographer could work almost from any place. And in these pictures Lukashenka looks older, he looks worked out and strained. And by the way, very human.
Georgian Way To EU Via Belarus
Posted by Maryna Rakhlei in categories EU on September 2nd, 2009
In August six thousand Georgian citizens crossed the Belarusian border to get to EU: Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Don’t you think it’s strange? 6 000 Georgian samurai coming to Belarus late summer to travel further…
If you take a closer look at numbers, it’s even more strange: August’21: 201 Georgian citizen crossed the Belarus-Polish border, 175 were sent back; August’24: 247 Georgians tried to get into Poland, 244 were turned back; August’25: out of 175 Georgians – 172 were not successful.
They were refused entry as they didn’t have a Schengen visa. Belarusian border officers do not check whether people leaving the country have an appropriate visa to travel further.
The amazed Belarusian border authorities say that Georgians come with their families, often having sold all their property back home. First, they try to get into EU without the visa. As they are sent back, they apply for it. The lucky ones are free to try again, the unfortunate confront the choice: apply again, go home or attempt to get into EU illegally, through the green zones.
The number of Georgians who picks up the last variant grows at an exponential rate: 5 were arrested in Belarus in June, 10 – in July and 60 – in August.
More over, first they only tried to sneak into Poland, now to the Baltic states.
One of the best explanations that I heard: after the Russia–Georgia conflict last year Polish President Lech Kaczynski went to Georgia several times to display his solidarity with the people. The Georgians felt that they would be welcomed in Poland any time – their Georgian passport will open up the border and secure a job in Poland. So off they went in numbers.
That’s actually a wonderful opportunity for Belarus to boast of the ¡No pasarán! shield that the country is for illegal migrants.
Cry Your Political Heart Out
Posted by Maryna Rakhlei in categories EU on August 12th, 2009
Aye, talk to me!
I just love this straightforward way of Belarusian president Lukashenka and his emotive politics.
This time he commented on the establishment of a rapid response force within the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). Out of 7 member states Belarus and Uzbekistan haven’t signed the respective agreements.
Lukashenka acknowledged that having been asked as to whether he would sign, he replied that it was his business and he would decide on his own what he would sign and when.
He explained that Belarus would fancy only lucrative documents. “… I asked them as to why I should defend them… Why should my guys die if something happens? Why? Why doesn’t Russia want to give me access to the market? Why can’t I get energy resources from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Russia? Why do they charge wild prices? Why should our guys die for it? And there was a dead silence,” Lukashenka said as quoted by Belapan.
Surprisingly he cited EU as an example of living as if in a single state and exemplified the structure of NATO where the stronger help the weaker. Whereas in CSTO things are different, he said.
Apropos response forces. Nothing seems to prevent Minsk from hosting Belarus-Russia military drills in autumn.
Looks like Russia has to operate on several fronts opened against it. Aggressive statements from actors of all sides show that talks don’t work, there’s no compromise about political or economic interests.
Not that emotional affronts could be helpful: actions speak louder than words anyway. But at least these loud words make the ongoing reality show “International Affairs-2009″ more fun to follow.
