Дейвидас Матуленис. Фото: flickr.com/photos/internationaltransportforum/
Lithuanian presidential adviser Deividas Matulionis said that Lithuania is not yet ready for political dialogue with Belarus. He made the remarks on LRT while commenting on statements by Donald Trump’s envoy on Belarus, John Coale.
Earlier, Coale said Belarusian potash fertilizers should transit through Lithuania and expressed hope for a bilateral Lithuania–Belarus meeting at the vice-ministerial level.
Matulionis noted that Lithuania, as a member of the European Union, is bound by sanctions on Belarusian potash and has no way to circumvent them. According to him, dialogue requires systemic changes inside Belarus — toward democratization, reduced support for Russia’s military-industrial complex, and greater independence from Moscow.
“So far, we have indeed had no indication that fertilizers should be transported through Lithuania. There has really been no pressure from America, and there still is not. I would emphasize that we should assess positively America’s efforts aimed primarily at securing the release of all political prisoners and at reducing tensions between neighbors, between Belarus and other states in the region.
That certainly deserves support. But dialogue is a somewhat more complicated issue. I do not think we are ready for it yet, and in the future we should think about it much more seriously. Belarus needs changes, and those changes may become the indicator,” he said.
“I would also like to stress that there is a common European Union position to avoid high-level political dialogue, and we must adhere to it. Yes, at a lower and more technical level, dialogue can be maintained in order to exchange information and help each side make better decisions,” he added.
Lithuanian conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas took a tougher stance, saying any dialogue with Lukashenka would amount to playing by his rules. In his view, the Belarusian regime deliberately creates problems for neighboring countries — through illegal migration, meteorological balloons, and the detention of trucks — only to offer solutions in exchange for easing sanctions.
“The three conditions for dialogue with Belarus named by the prime minister are essentially playing by Lukashenka’s rules. In other words, if he slightly reduces balloon smuggling, returns the trucks, and stops sending migrants, then we will ease sanctions that were introduced for entirely different reasons — authoritarianism, democratic violations, and total dependence on Russia.
You see how quickly we begin to accept the rules of the game he imposes. What if he creates a fourth problem and starts dumping nuclear waste near our border? Or a fifth problem? This is not how relations are built, because he is an authoritarian politician who follows the concept of creating problems in order to force neighbors into discussing concessions,” he said.
Both men agreed that the recent extension of EU sanctions against Belarus shows there has been no real American pressure on European partners. Matulionis added that if the United States succeeds in distancing Belarus from Russia, it would be an important achievement, though Belarus remains fully integrated into Russia’s military system and the regional security situation has not changed.
“For now, we maintain the position that we need to see systemic changes. If America succeeds in pulling Belarus further away from Russia, that would be a very important development and would allow us to reconsider our relations. We wish America success, but we have not managed to achieve this in 32 years,” the adviser said.