Commenting on the European Parliament’s latest condemnation of Belarus’ treatment of minorities, the press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said it was biased and had “nothing to do with the real situation.”

The EP resolution concerned particularly but not exclusively the February crackdown on the Union of Poles in Belarus, which Poland recognizes as the official representative of Belarus’ 400,000 ethnic Poles.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry press service characterized the EP resolutions as an “effort to frustrate the dialogue” between Belarus and Poland and enigmatically stated that the European Union was “skating on the thin ice of interethnic relations” and could “open Pandora's box with unpredictable consequences both inside and outside the European Union.”

This new development might compromise a rapprochement between the EU and Belarus, as the EP resolution stressed that EU’s openness was conditional on increased freedom of speech, association, religion and diversity of political parties within Belarus.