Why was a group of friends from Belarus founded in the Bundestag?
The German-Belarusian parliamentary group, in which German parliamentarians communicated with Belarusian colleagues, was founded in 1995. In February 2020, deputies from Germany came to Minsk, it was mainly about economic cooperation. However, after Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, it was decided to freeze contacts. But, as Aniko Glogowski-Merten, a deputy from the Free Democratic Party, emphasizes, Belarusians should not think that they have been forgotten in Germany – that is why the Belarusian Democratic group appeared in the Bundestag. What will this group of deputies do and will it be able to help Belarusians?
“From Berlin to Minsk 1100 kilometers, but it’s a completely different world”
The deputies chose the name “Democratic Belarus” not by chance. “We are well aware that Belarus has been under the authoritarian rule of the dictator Lukashenka since 1994,” Johannes Schraps, an SPD MP, told DW. “We all know that after the August 2020 elections, which, from our point of view, the views were falsified, the repressions against its own population, against people who criticize the regime, strongly intensified and all opposition was strangled. ”.
Robin Wagener, an MP for the Greens, recalls that it is only 1,100 kilometers from Berlin to Minsk: “However, this is a completely different world. Decisions in which security forces severely beat people and destroy families.”
When Robin Wagener was elected a member of the Bundestag, he was offered to become the symbolic godfather of the blogger Igor Losik, who has been imprisoned for almost three years. “It is important for me to pay attention to the fate of these people who live so close to us, but in such a different world. I am very moved by their stories”, says the deputy.
What will the parliamentary group do?
According to Aniko Glogowski-Merten, the main objective of the group is contacts with opposition politicians, as well as civil society in Belarus.
“We understand that it is very difficult to establish contacts with people who are in Belarus. Therefore, we communicate more with Belarusians abroad,” she says in an interview with DW. “However, with the help of our structures, we are trying to influence the situation in Belarus and support Belarusian society. We have various programs in the field of culture and education. We support media workers and cultural figures with scholarships.”
Robin Wagener emphasizes that deputies do not recognize the Minsk regime as legitimate, but “on a practical level, there are things that need to be done and discussed.” “For example, we wrote letters to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Belarus, and also appealed to representatives of the system with demands to improve the conditions of detention of political prisoners and release them,” explains the deputy. “We do this even though we don’t recognize the regime. And the German Foreign Ministry is in contact with the Belarusian foreign policy department, including and especially when it comes to the fate of political prisoners.”
8.5 million euros for a democratic Belarus
How exactly does Germany support democratic Belarus? “I am the coordinator of the federal government and I am responsible for contacts with Belarusian civil society in exile”, explains Johannes Schraps. “For example, we allocated 8.5 million euros from the Eastern Partnership program to various activities of democratic Belarus, society.”
Her colleague Aniko Glogowski-Merten believes that the support signal is very strong. “As the chancellor said, we are going through a ‘change of era’. And I think this term is also suitable for signaling in foreign policy and at the diplomatic level. In fact, this is a very powerful signal of support,” she said. she says.
The second meeting of the “Democratic Belarus” group in the Bundestag will take place at the end of April. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is expected to be its first official guest.
Source: DW
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