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Minsk Forum Xv R EPORT M INSK F ORUM XV B ELARUS, G ERMANY, AND THE EU: E ASTERN P ARTNERSHIP, C IVIL S OCIETY AND E CONOMIC R ELATIONS N OVEMBER 16- 18, 2017 M INSK Day 1: November 16th, 2017 Opening / Welcome At the “Minsk Forum XV,” which was first held in 1997, its 20-year history was recalled, as well as the 25th anniversary of the renewal of German-Belarusian diplomatic relations on March 13th, 1992. This year, the Minsk Forum had the great honour of welcoming the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus and the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Uladzimir Makei and H.E. Sigmar Gabriel. The Chairman of the Minsk Forum and the German-Belarusian Society (dbg), Prof. Dr. Rainer Lindner, began his welcoming speech with a historical overview. He noted that despite the cessation of contact between Belarus and the EU in 1997, in the following years, the Minsk Forum was able to develop into an important platform for communication between the states. In particular, Prof. Dr. Lindner noted the importance of participation in the "Minsk Forum XV" for the members of the German Bundestag and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, as well as for the Ambassador of the EU Mission to the Republic of Belarus, H.E. Andrea Wiktorin. In his speech, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Belarus, H.E. Peter Dettmar, also mentioned the “double anniversary”, and the importance of the Minsk Forum as a platform for bilateral exchange. He noted the positive development of relations between Belarus and the EU over the past two years. In his opinion, the forthcoming Eastern Partnership summit should set the course for further cooperation. Belarus has become part of the globalised economy and should take this into account when making political decisions. The Chairman of the General Meeting of the International Centre for Education and Exchange “Johannes Rau”, Matthias C. Tümpel, agreed with previous speakers in assessing the importance of the Minsk Forum. In her video message, Helga Schmid, Secretary General of the European External Action Service in Brussels, drew attention to the symbolic character of the Minsk Forum before the Eastern Partnership summit. She expressed her hope for negotiations of visa facilitation and Belarus' willingness for reforms, which are especially relevant in view of the great challenges the country is facing in the realms of economy and digitalisation. In his welcoming speech, Andrei Bushila, Head of the Department for European Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, noted that the Minsk Forum is more than just an important experience for facilitating Belarus-EU relations. Constructive and democratic dialogue is also important for solving common challenges in the spheres of political, economic, and social stabilisation, as well as in the architecture of European security. Mr. Bushila also called the Eastern Partnership an important instrument for European cooperation with Belarus – not in a confrontational, but rather in a constructive way. Panel I: Belarus in Europe: Chances and challenges from “Minsk II” to “Helsinki II” The first panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Wolfgang Sender, Director for Belarus at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, was devoted to the topic of foreign policy and security challenges for Belarus. H.E. Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin noted positive trends in Belarus in the field of security policy, as well as the country’s active participation in the Eastern Partnership. According to Ms. Wiktorin, the OSCE called the Belarusian presidency in the Central European Initiative a "base" for the development of common initiatives and interests in the realms of security, stability, and peace. However, disagreements remain in the issues of values and human rights. From Belarus, H.E. Wiktorin expects to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty and to promote a dialogue on human rights with civil society. The Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus in the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Dzianis Sidarenka, spoke of a new understanding of Belarus in Europe. He rejected the country's one-sided orientation toward the West or the East. Belarus has now new contacts with business and civil society in the West, as well as new opportunities for partnership with the EU. The Head of the Department for Russia, Belarus, Moldova and the Eastern Partnership Countries at the German Federal Foreign Office, Dr. Hans-Peter Hinrichsen, said that Belarus is conducting an active dialogue on human rights and electoral law reform. He called for more significant steps towards the development of a framework agreement between the EU and Belarus. Regarding the establishment of a dialogue between East and West, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Dr. Valery Varanecky, noted that Belarus is interested in good relations with both the EU and Russia. In his opinion, Belarus has the potential to address common security problems in the region – Belarus could become an important element of the EU's foreign policy in Eastern Europe. Karsten Voigt, a former member of the Bundestag and former Speaker for foreign issues of the SPD- Fraction in the German Bundestag, drew attention to two important factors of the Helsinki process: exclusively peaceful changes of borders and the rejection of spheres of influence. The equal rights of smaller and larger states, as well as their freedom to decide on alliances, are important elements enshrined in the Charter of Paris. Although the EU has made political mistakes, nothing can legitimise Russia's actions in the East of Ukraine and in the Crimea. The neutral position of Belarus in the conflict between the EU and Russia corresponds to German interests. Nevertheless, the main problem identified by Mr. Voigt was the lack of interest of many EU countries in Belarus. Germany, however, will always act as a constructive partner. H.E. Ambassador Wiktorin admitted that the EU needed time to develop and differentiate the Eastern Partnership. The current role of Russia was assessed as being "not always constructive." Therefore, at present, cooperation between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union is becoming more complicated. On the issue of areas of economic growth for Belarus, H.E. Ambassador Sidarenka noted that modernisation is the most important task. Germany and the EU are important partners for Belarus, especially in matters of digitalisation as a factor of economic development. Dr. Hinrichsen countered that above all, reform in the sphere of investment security is necessary. Dr. Sender concluded by calling trust between partners one of the important factors for further cooperation. The day ended with an evening reception at the invitation of H.E. Ambassador Peter Dettmar. Day 2: November 17th, 2017 Panel II: Belarusian modernisation in the digital age: The “REFORUM” project, state reform ideas, and European know-how During the second panel, moderated by the Head of the Office for Ukraine and Belarus of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Marcel Röthig, the question of Belarus’ need for reform was examined. Mr. Röthig mentioned the "REFORUM" project of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS), which included 16 thematic working groups (e.g. on the establishment of high-tech parks, visa liberalisation, etc.). The Head of the Division for Bilateral Relations with the Eastern Partnership Countries in the European External Action Service, H.E. Ambassador Dirk Schuebel, noted that the development of the digital economy can create a winning situation for Belarus and its partners. After the lifting of sanctions, cooperation with Belarus has significantly expanded - for example, there is support for Belarus in the field of accession to the WTO and involvement in the Erasmus+ programme. On the other hand, further cooperation in the field of human rights is needed. In general, the volume of trade between Belarus and the EU is growing, including the agricultural sector. According to Valery Baradzenia, Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee on Budget and Finance of the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, the technical infrastructure for the digital economy in Belarus is actually ready. The depth and speed of economic reforms depend on the willingness of the population, so the key question is how much the state should intervene in these processes. At the same time, Hanna Kanapackaya (Committee for Economic Policy, House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus) noted that, according to one of the surveys conducted, the majority of the population supports reforms. She also called on the Belarusian authorities to accept the EU's demands for reforming the electoral legislation and adopting a moratorium on the death penalty. Oliver Kaczmarek, Member of the German Bundestag / Co-Chairman of the German-Belarusian Society (dbg), drew attention to the fact that it is the stable economic situation that motivates young specialists to remain in the country. There is already a positive trend in terms of economic development in Belarus. But it is necessary to arouse greater interest from German business. An important issue is still the investment security – here the Belarusian state should work out an appropriate framework. Raman Kascicyn, Director of ARS Communications Minsk / The “REFORUM” Project, Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, attributed the Belarusian population’s lack of readiness for reforms to the post- Soviet mentality. There is a lack of dialogue between the economy, the government, and civil society, partly due to a deep distrust to state structures, Mr. Kascicyn believes. Nevertheless, there is also a positive trend: the state supports social entrepreneurship and strives for balance in the economy. Taciana Ihnatouskaya, Partner at the SPP Law Firm, Minsk / The “REFORUM” Project, Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, noted the positive impact of the "REFORUM" project in some areas.
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