Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-01-14-Speech-3-466"
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"en.20090114.21.3-466"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I think that there are no longer any reasons for maintaining any kind of sanctions against Belarus. There we see a country which is undoubtedly undergoing a crisis, like all the countries of Europe, and in any case it is a country which permits the right to property, a country which until a few months ago was experiencing a growth rate of 8% and which did not prevent foreigners, including Europeans, from buying land or houses, even if this was through Belarusian companies.
Further, with regard to religious freedom, a little while ago Cardinal Bertone went to Belarus and relations of mutual respect were certainly forged between the state of Belarus and the Vatican. Political liberties, above all, are important, and there has been talk of some prisoners, but in fact this relates to three political prisoners who have been released.
We are also talking about political elections, and certainly there is not the comprehensive freedom that we experience in western elections, but it is certainly true that television time and, in some cases, even contributions have been granted by the state to all the candidates. We also know that in the next few weeks some newspapers – independent newspapers – will have the opportunity to start up and be distributed.
I think that it is strategically in Europe's interests to open up to Belarus, precisely because Belarus is a very important element between Europe and Russia. Let us remember that there is a strong Catholic minority, which brings it closer to neighbouring Poland and the rest of Europe and makes the country a strategic ally with regard to the rest of eastern Europe. It is strange that today there is talk of Turkey's entry into Europe, when Belarus has a much stronger and more significant partnership role with Europe."@en1
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