Europe to follow events in Belarus

• 15.09.2010, 9:04

The European Union hopes the presidential elections in Belarus will be carried out in line with European and international standards of democratic elections.

BelaPAN news agency has learnt this from Maja Kocijancic, the spokesperson for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton.

Ms Kocijancic noted the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) had given Belarus a number of recommendations in this area. The EU hopes they will be implemented in the run up to the elections as they are supposed to ensure equal conditions for all candidates.

The spokesperson EU High Reprehensive for Foreign Affairs stressed the “utmost importance” of the election observation. “We look forward to Belarus issuing an early invitation to a fully-fledged and long-term OSCE/ODIHR-led international election observation mission,” Ms Kocijancic said.

She also noted: “Democratic elections would give a considerable new impetus to the EU's engagement policy towards Belarus.”