at the End of 2018, we have taken the project a bit quirky with two friends to spend a few days in Minsk, one of the only european capitals that none of us knew. We had in mind that the postcard of a city stuck in the soviet era, we discovered a young English-speaking – or even learning French –, deeply animated by a pro-european feeling, eager to emancipate themselves, to innovate, to live in freedom. They were studying computer science, were programmer or a UX designer, and in the bars of Minsk, they spoke more of expatriation that change for their country, as the lid of the Lukashenko regime seemed solid.
But everything changed during that presidential campaign, with a people who stood up peacefully, with the three muses of a political revolution, which was to pass through the ballot box. As I was writing one of my friends belarusians with whom I stayed in contact (and in which I reproduce the messages with his permission) : “Last year of the last dictatorship of Europe” (” the Last year for the last dictatorship of Europe “). A slope optimistic that he immediately tempered by a ” Last hope. If they can’t change the game, nobody can ” (” Last hope. If they can’t do it, nobody can “). They believed in it, and some media and politicians have become interested in what was happening in Belarus. Las, the result of the elections of August 9, rigged as always, led to the victory of the outgoing president. Since it is a wave of violence on the protesters, his opponent has taken refuge in Lithuania, and gradually the protestors fizzle out. I followed the pictures, the story of these last hours, my friend who was in hiding after the dispersal of a demonstration to avoid the forces of law and order, which is now firing live ammunition. I found how many were the timid messages of the european Union, such as those of France, despite the call for transparency of the results of the secretary of State for european Affairs, despite the “concern” shown by the president of the Republic, who met with Vladimir Putin.
But this morning, I was ashamed of not having much else to respond to this friend who wrote to me : “Unfortunately, nobody cares about us because our protests don’t have any geopolitical vector” (Unfortunately, nobody cares about us, because our events do not have a geopolitical value “). Belarus, it is still for many the eastern imperialist bloc, the residue of the doctrine Brezhnev. Even though the baltic states are, for over 15 years, part of the european Union, it is clear that Europe is struggling to be interested in the ex-soviet republics such as Belarus, Moldova and even Ukraine, which has fascinated the world with its revolution of Maïdan, but that was later amputated part of its territory… to Die for Minsk, fâchant the powerful Russian neighbour, is obviously not in the plans of the Europeans… And since the 2004 enlargement, the Union is struggling to rethink its geographic center and its relationship with its margins. It’s hard to make this a political project of freedom, which was one of this expansion of the post-fall of the iron curtain.
The Union deserves a geopolitical project. So, yes, we can only rejoice in the progress recorded in recent months at european level, between ambition for the ecological transition and recovery plan at the level of the economic and social crisis that will hit our States. But we can only speculate on the political weakness which remains that of the Union. Low with the outside world, in its relationship with Russia – with Turkey, moreover, also, weak on the inside face of the democracies, illiberal, weak in the affirmation of its values. And finally it is the people who wish to join us, and we don’t know, like the Belarusians, who seem to still believe in the power of european values. And we know how much the French vision of human rights has played a role in the construction of this imaginary that the common european.
” I’m not afraid of this government. The government is afraid of us “, wrote to me this friend when I told him about this forum. And he concludes : “This Friday EU foreign Ministers will discuss the situation in Belarus and I hope it gonna help us” (” The council of ministers of foreign Affairs of the Union on Friday will discuss the situation in belarus, and I hope that this will help us “). We also, let’s not be afraid of this government. Respond to this hope during the council of european foreign ministers. French political leaders, such as european, don’t forget my friends belarusians who are struggling to end the last dictatorship in Europe !
