Czech PM rejects meeting Belarusian opposition on margins of V4 meeting in Poland

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) has argued against holding official talks between Visegrad Four countries and representatives of the Belarusian opposition on the margins of the central European group's meeting on Friday, Czech Radio reports.

Babiš and his counterparts from Poland, Hungary and Slovakia are in Lublin, Poland to discuss the coronavirus situation and an upcoming EU summit, among other issues. In a letter on Thursday,  Babiš wrote that meeting the Belarusian opposition could prove counterproductive, as it would feed into propaganda that foreign agents are behind protests against the Lukashenko regime.

"Belarus accuses us of engaging in a hybrid war, of interfering in internal affairs. I'm convinced that the result of such a meeting would be water for the mill of the dictator Lukashenko, who would point to us again," Babiš told reporters on Friday.

In mid-August, the presidents of the Visegrad Four states issued a joint statement expressing disquiet over the presidential elections in Belarus but appealed to other countries not to take action that would undermine that country’s independence and sovereignty.