7 February 2010
Relations with Belarus can get fresh impetus following Ukraine’s presidential election, Kyiv-based expert says

Bilateral relations with Belarus can get a fresh impetus following Ukraine’s presidential election irrespective of whether Viktor Yanukovych or Yulia Tymoshenko will win it, Mikhailo Pohrebinski, director of the Kyiv Center for Political Studies and Conflictology, said in an interview with BelaPAN.

“In fact, the framework within which a president will work doesn`t feature Belarus,” the political expert said. “There are only Russia and Europe there. Problems in Belarus’ relations with Europe and Russia will remain. Perhaps, Ukraine will act as a partner rather than a mediator to make the position of Belarus more comfortable in the Belarus-Ukraine-Europe-Russia polygon. In this regard, it will be easier for Europe to talk with Tymoshenko rather than Yanukovych about the Belarus issue.”

“Belarusian-Ukraine projects, including transit projects, will remain topical, even if Russia dislikes them very much,” he noted.

As for the Belarusian roots of Mr. Yanukovych whose remote relatives come from Belarus, Mr. Pohrebinski said that they would not play a prominent role in the shaping of his policy regarding Minsk. “He is not that much nationalistically oriented,” the expert explained.

In any case, the bilateral relations may become closer only in the context of Ukraine’s ties with the European Union and Russia, he added.