deliberately deleted records
The Wednesday message of head of EU diplomacy Kai Kallas highlighted that EU associate States "strongly condemn Belarus' persistent and provocative actions". It referred to a situation where air facilities forced Lithuania to temporarily close airports and the border. Tens of cigarette-carrying balloons raised concerns about civilian aviation safety and met with criticism by the authorities in Vilnius, which considered these incidents to be part of the “hybrid war” aimed at the West.
According to the website's findings Politico, the final version of the message was softened compared to an earlier draft, circulated on Tuesday morning and obtained by the editorial board. The first paper indicated that the government of Alexander Lukashenko "is straight or through deliberate inaction".
Diplomats and officials in conversation with Politico they acknowledged that this provision was yet deleted so that Hungary expressed its support. The portal besides stated that Budapest sought the European Union to completely abandon publication of an assessment that balloon flights were an effort to destabilise associate States.
This has happened before.
This is not the first time Hungary has opposed the content of a message to Belarus. At the end of January this year, the European Union intended to print a joint message by the associate States on the failure to recognise the Belarusian presidential “elections” in which Alexander Lukashenko was to win almost 87 percent of the votes.
The paper to be published stated that elections under unprecedented repression and media restrictions cannot be considered free, fair or lawful. Initially, Hungary and Slovakia did not support the draft statement, but Bratislava yet changed its position. Hungary remained the only of the 27 EU associate States to refuse to sign it.
