Radoslaw Sikorski: the European Dialogue for Modernisation Should Target Not Only Civil Society But Also Current Administration in Belarus

While meeting with a group of reform-minded activists from Belarus in Tallinn on August 27, the Foreign Minister of Poland said that Belarusian civil society should be more active in implementing the European Dialogue for Modernisation and target not only CSOs but also members of the current administration.

Minister underlined the importance of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) and the currently registered European Endowment for Democracy as instruments for participation and support to the Belarusian civil society - among CSOs from other countries of the Eastern Partnership block.

According to Sikorski, the European Endowment for Democracy has been recently registered. Poland has already pledged 5 mln euro support for the initial budget. Each euro coming from Member States of the Union will be matched by one euro from the European Commission, he said.

The visit of Belarusian CSO representatives and journalists is taking place on the invitation of the Estonian Centre of Eastern Partnership in Tallinn. The Foreign Minster of Estonia Urmas Paet and the Foreign Minister of Poland Radek Sikorski opened the first day of the event.

Olga Stuzhinskaya, Director of the ODB is taking part in this study trip.