Failed Expectations? Belarus and the Eastern Partnership
When the first Eastern Partnership (EaP) Summit took place in Prague in 2009, Belarus seemed to be demonstrating more hope than despair in terms of its internal and external political development. Another wave of western sanctions had just been mitigated and bilateral relations with one of the two major proponents and initiators of the Eastern Partnership – Poland – were reaching a new level of mutual trust and co-operation. Despite the fact that Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka did not come to Prague himself, unlike his colleagues from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine (Moldova was also not represented by the head of state), Belarusian media portrayed the Eastern Partnership Initiative as a success of Belarusian diplomacy.
September 4, 2020 -
Veranika Laputska
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AnalysisIssue 5 2020Magazine

Vladimir Makei, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs, 4th from the right, and meets with Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, 4th from the left, in Minsk, on January 30, 2018. Photo: European Commission