[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17577-17578]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EURASIAN SITUATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this time to talk about some 
European issues, especially in eastern Europe.
  First, I want to talk about the country of Belarus. Three years after 
the brutal and bloody crackdown on peaceful demonstrators after the 
December 10 presidential elections, nine political prisoners remain 
behind bars under deplorable conditions in Belarus. This includes 
Nikolai Statkevich, who ran against Lukashenko in 2010; Ales 
Bialiatski, the head of Viasna, a human rights organization; and 
Mikalai Autukhovich, who sliced open his stomach in September to 
protest his poor treatment by prison guards. While the regime recently 
released three political activists--Zmitser Dashkevich, Aliaksandr 
Frantskevich, and Pavel Seviarynets--it continues to restrict their 
freedom of movement and activities.
  The general human rights situation in Belarus also continues to 
deteriorate. Recent laws passed to regulate demonstrations and 
political information have greatly curtailed freedom of assembly, and 
independent journalists and political activists are under a constant 
threat of intimidation and arbitrary detention. In October, the regime 
made amendments to the Electoral Code designed to undermine the ability 
of opposition candidates to receive funding and compete in the 2014 
local elections.

[[Page 17578]]

  The EU voted in October to expand sanctions on the Lukashenko regime 
for an additional year citing the regime's failure to release or 
effectively rehabilitate political prisoners and its disregard for 
human rights or democratic principles in their decision making. The 
United States should continue to work with the European Union to remain 
consolidated, impose economic sanctions, and have a single plan of 
action regarding the promotion of dramatic processes in Belarus.
  Tensions with Russia increased when the Lukashenko regime arrested 
Vladislav Baumgertner, a Russian citizen who is the head of a major 
Russian potash firm. The move was in retaliation for this firm dropping 
its joint venture with a local Belorussian potash firm, resulting in a 
steep drop in the commodity price and harming the Belarus economy. This 
began an ongoing ``potash war'' with Russia. Meanwhile, negotiations to 
put a Russian airbase in Belarus have proved controversial and allowed 
opposition parties an opening to criticize the regime and focus 
attention on national independence and sovereignty issues. The United 
States should continue to support Belorussian citizens as they fight to 
maintain their sovereignty.
  Also, Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about the Eastern Partnership. On 
November 28 through 29, just coming up soon, the European Union will 
host the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. The goal of 
the event is to promote closer ties between the EU and its eastern 
neighbors and, in particular, to further the progress on association 
agreements with Georgia, Moldova, and the Ukraine. The governments of 
these countries have worked for years to meet conditions for signing 
the agreements, and the summit is viewed as an historic step in 
European integration for these countries.
  Russia has responded to the Eastern Partnership initiative by 
applying intense pressure on these countries to abandon EU engagement 
and join a Russian-led Eurasian union instead. Russia has started 
erecting barbed wire fences on Georgian territory, prompting a stern 
rebuke from the EU condemning the action and calling for their removal. 
In Moldova, Russia has resorted to its tactics of banning Moldova wine 
imports and threatening to cut off gas during the winter months. Russia 
has banned dairy products from Lithuania and certain chocolate products 
from the Ukraine and threatened both countries with disruption or price 
hikes on gas supplies. The EU has warned Russia to stop these actions, 
and the U.S. should join in the condemnation of Russia's aggressive 
behavior towards the sovereignty of nations on its border.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this time for talking about these emerging 
democracies in eastern Europe, the threat that still continues, and the 
importance of the United States Government being involved in promoting 
democracy, freedom, and the rule of law.

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