FM Paet Condemns Expulsion of USA Diplomats from Belarus
05.05.2008
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet expressed extreme indignation over the decision of the authorities in Belarus to expel ten USA diplomats working in the USA’s Minsk embassy from the country.
“The Belarusian authorities justify this move by saying they want to equalise the size of the staff between the embassies in Minsk and Washington, but let’s be honest—this is not a very convincing argument,” said the foreign minister. He added that this behaviour punishes the residents of Belarus more than anybody else. “The USA puts millions of dollars into supporting tens of aid programmes in Belarus that the nation’s own leaders aren’t capable of providing,” said Paet. According to him, “in addition to civil society development programmes, plans to advance USA-Belarus cultural and educational relations could also suffer, which would further worsen the situation for people there.”
The foreign minister expressed solidarity with the USA and its diplomats, emphasising that Belarus itself will be responsible for the consequences of its decision. For this reason, Paet called upon Belarus to revoke its short-sighted decision. The foreign minister is certain that the European Union will soon reach a common viewpoint on this issue and will carefully follow developments in the situation.
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