German BSW politician plans November delegation trip to Vitebsk in Belarus
Brandenburg state parliament member Sven Hornauf of the BSW party has announced plans to lead a bus trip to the Belarusian city of Vitebsk in November, joined by a delegation of like-minded figures from several German parties.
A politician from Germany's left-populist BSW party (the Alliance for Social Justice and a Sensible Economy, formerly known as the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance) has announced intentions to organize a trip to Belarus this November.
The announced plan
Sven Hornauf, a deputy in the state parliament (Landtag) of Brandenburg, said the group would travel by bus to the Belarusian city of Vitebsk. He will be joined on the trip by a delegation of like-minded individuals representing several different German political parties, not only BSW.
Background on the party
BSW is a relatively new force in German politics, having emerged from the earlier Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance. The party is known for positions that, on a number of issues including foreign policy, diverge from the stance taken by Germany's mainstream political establishment.
Wider context
The announcement comes at a time when relations between Western countries and Belarus, as well as Russia, remain tense. Trips by German politicians to Belarus in this climate tend to draw attention, as such visits are often viewed as carrying symbolic weight regarding official Western policy toward these countries.
The available information does not specify which particular German parties will be represented in the delegation, how many people will take part, what the stated purpose of the trip is, or the exact date in November when it will take place. It is also not known whether the delegation plans to meet with any specific officials in Vitebsk or elsewhere in Belarus.
