Commissioner Hahn in Belarus to follow up the Eastern Partnership Summit

Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations will visit Belarus on 30 January to follow up the Eastern Partnership Summit which took place on 24 November in Brussels. Commissioner Hahn will meet with the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, the Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov and with Vladimir Makei, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to discuss the priorities of the Eastern Partnership Summit and the deepening of EU-Belarus relations. This will also be reflected in the new EU-Belarus Partnership Priorities which will define further cooperation for the coming years. The Commissioner will also meet with representatives of the opposition and participants of the MOST project. Ahead of the mission, Commissioner Hahn said: "Since my last visit in Minsk in 2015, relations between the EU and Belarus developed positively and we extended our cooperation considerably. Cooperation in areas of common interest has been stepped up. The EU increased its support to regional and private sector development; support to civil society; and energy efficiency. The EU's efforts will continue to focus on increasing engagement with all sectors of Belarus society. My visit will focus on EU-Belarus relations, human rights as well as regional cooperation and our joint progress on the "20 deliverables for 2020", which aim to bring tangible benefits to the daily lives of Belarusian citizens. Photos and videos of the mission will be available on EbS.