The EU-Belarus talks on the package of readmission and visa liberalization agreements are over, and the sides are considering the time and venue of the signing ceremony, European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said in a program aired by the Belarusian television channel ONT.
Main negotiations have come to an end, and the time and venue of the signing ceremony are being chosen, Hahn said.
Once the visa liberalization agreement is signed, the EU visa fee for Belarusian citizens will drop from 65 to 35 euros.
Meanwhile, the EU and Belarus cannot sign a framework agreement on cooperation priorities because of Lithuania’s stance, Hahn said, adding that Lithuania is blocking the agreement over the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant.
Ways to resolve the altercation between Lithuania and Belarus are being discussed with partner states, Hahn said. Everyone is interested in setting cooperation priorities so, hopefully, a solution will be found, he said.
The EU and six Eastern Partnership member states – Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Moldova – are holding a summit in Brussels on May 13-14. The summit is dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the Eastern Partnership program.
Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei leads the Belarusian delegation to the summit. He said earlier that Minsk was expecting to sign the readmission and visa liberalization agreements with the EU before the end of this year.
