German politician Singer in Minsk advocates for lifting sanctions on Belarus – lower house
April 3, Pozirk. German far-right politician Ulrich Singer, currently on a visit in Minsk, advocates for lifting the European Union’s sanctions on Belarus, said the House of Representatives.
Singer, a member of AfD and the Bavarian State Parliament (Landtag), arrived in the Belarusian capital at the invitation of the pro-Łukašenka Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), according to Aleh Hajdukievič, LDP leader and deputy chairman of the standing committee on international affairs of the lower house of the Belarusian National Assembly.
His visit comes amid one of the lowest points in relations between Minsk and Berlin. The purpose of Singer’s visit is to improve ties between Belarus and Germany, the EU, Hajdukievič said.
In addition to discussions in the parliament, his program includes meetings with the public and interviews. “Business, economics and geopolitics will also be discussed,” Hajdukievič said. According to him, Singer’s visit “confirms that the isolation of Belarus is a big myth, which even the Europeans who are told fairy tales on TV do not believe.”
The press office noted that Singer “is an adherent of traditional family values,” and pushes for an end to uncontrolled migration, enhanced control at the European Union borders and “the restoration of supply lines for the delivery of energy to slow Germany’s deindustrialization.”
The press office said that Singer criticized the federal government’s economic and foreign policies, and advocates for resuming cooperation and lifting sanctions on Belarus.
The meeting participants agreed that Europe will be strong and prosperous only together with Belarus, when peace is achieved, and Europe becomes really independent.
Commenting on Singer’s visit on April 2, the German foreign ministry’s press office pointed out that the federal government strongly condemns systemic reprisals in Belarus.
The German foreign office noted that Belarusian MPs were elected in an electoral process that was neither free nor fair. All independent Belarusian political parties and candidates were denied registration to participate, while Minsk did not invite observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, contrary to its international obligations, it added.
The foreign ministry did not directly criticize Singer for his visit to Minsk because Germany’s local elected officials are independent of the federal government and organize their trips at their own discretion.
A year ago, Singer visited Russia to observe the presidential election. He told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that he had studied Russian at a university and had an internship in Moscow. He has good connections in Russia and owns a dacha in a Moscow suburb.
Berlin distances itself from Bavarian far-right MP ahead of his Minsk visit
April 2, Pozirk. Germany strongly condemns systemic reprisals in Belarus, including last year's parliamentary election held in an atmosphere of fear, a German foreign ministry official told Pozirk in a comment on a Minsk visit by Ulrich Singer, a politician …