Participants of the Brussels Forum have been informed about the events on March 25 in Minsk.

The famous Brussels Forum, gathering the world’s political, economic, and intellectual elite, opened on March 25.

For the last recent years Belarus was represented by Andrei Sannikov, a presidential candidate and coordinator of European Belarus civil campaign, and Iryna Krasovskaya, the head of We Remember foundation. This year, the country was represented by Irina Krasovskaya, heads of the Belarus Free Theatre Natallya Kalyada and Mikalai Khalezin, and prominent British playwright Tom Stoppard.

Absence of Sannikov was explained at the beginning of the Forum. Organizers said the people who had always been Forum’s “trademarks” were not able to come. They are president of the German Marshall Fund Craig Kennedy and head of the Brussels branch of the German Marshall Fund Ronald Asmus, who did not come due to problems with health, and Belarusian presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov, arrested and thrown in the KGB jail three months ago.

There was a debate “Have the Western policies failed North Africa and the Middle East?” broadcasted by BBC World. Baroness Catherine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President, European Commission, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who had initiated hearing on Belarus in the US Senate, and Nabil Fahmy, a former Egyptian Ambassador to the USA, took part in the discussion.

The whole world was watching the debate on BBC World, when the director of the Belarus Free Theatre, Natalia Kaliada, asked “Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is selling weapons to Libya, and Gaddafi is killing civilians, French and American soldiers. Lukashenka has launched mass repression in Belarus and arrested opposition leaders. It’s time to give an answer to the question: Did West’s policy towards Belarus fail?”

Catherine Ashton and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said they continued pressing on the Belarusian authorities and would not stop until all political prisoners were released.

Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council, took the floor at the Brussels Forum. The EU President expressed his solidarity and support to all people struggling for freedom of Belarus on Freedom Day.

After news about mass preventive arrests in Belarus on March 25 had appeared, all delegates of the forum, including presidents and EU foreign ministers were informed about it.

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On the images: Natalia Kaliada, Irina Bogdanova, Irina Krasovskaya with Tom Stoppard (1), with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt (2), wirh Baroness Catherine Ashton (3)