Brussels, 07/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - In an interview with EUROPE, Alexandre Milinkevitch affirmed that the European Union's rapprochement policy towards Belarus and the inclusion of the country in the “Eastern Partnership”, which was launched on Thursday 7 May in Prague, represents a “historic opportunity” for gradually improving the democratic situation and maintaining independence from Russia. The head of the Belarus opposition and winner of the European Parliament's Sakharov prize stated: “For us, the Eastern Partnership is a historical opportunity”. Belarus is in “great danger” of losing its economic independence “because over the years our economy has only functioned because of cheap gas and oil from Russia”. Now that President Alexander Lukashenko has disappointed Russia by rejecting the project of union between the two countries, Moscow has drastically increased prices and is holding Belarus by the scruff of its neck. The latter now has to take out very expensive loans to pay its gas bills. In these circumstances, any rapprochement with Europe is an “opportunity and a necessity”. On the other hand, further isolation of the country would strengthen Moscow's grip on Minsk. Mr Milinkevitch does not want Belarus to “turn its back on Russia” but neither does he want “to become one day a component part of our great neighbour”. Although Mr Milinkevitch still wants dialogue with Lukashenko, he believes that strengthening the opposition and civil society is the best way of improving the democratic situation and human rights: “I don't believe that Mr Lukashenko will become a democrat one day but he has understood that certain changes are indispensable”. Milinkevitch also explained that the media and opposition situation has “already slightly improved, even though there are sill perhaps political prisoners”. He concluded that “reform is a process. We need to be realistic. I prefer evolution to revolution because I don't think that revolution would be at the service of democracy”. (H.B./transl.rh)