30/09/2011 16:00
Belarus has canceled its participation in a summit of EU leaders
Belarus has canceled its participation in a summit of EU leaders with five Eastern European countries, Radio Free Europe reports.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced during opening talks on the second day of the Eastern Partnership summit that the Belarus delegation "is absent."
Belarus's foreign ministry said in a press statement that "participation is not possible as a partnership cannot be based on discrimination."
The statement accused the summit organizers of taking "unprecedented discriminatory steps" against Belarus for not inviting President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to the talks and "restricting" the attendance of the Belarusian delegation.
The statement accused the summit organizers of taking "unprecedented discriminatory steps" against Belarus for not inviting President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to the talks and "restricting" the attendance of the Belarusian delegation.