Belarus Calls On Western States to Engage in Mutually Respectful Dialogue

Diplomats from the Belarusian mission at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting in Vienna called on their colleagues to stop manipulating human rights issues. This is how they commented on the statement on behalf of a number of Western countries, read out by the head of the German delegation.

False messages and fabrications that distort the real state of affairs were resolutely rejected. Objective and official information was presented in connection with the pardoning of individual prisoners in Belarus.

Representatives of our country once again drew the attention of their colleagues to the fact that there are no so-called political articles in the Belarusian criminal legislation, and any attempts to present individuals who have committed specific violations of the national legislation of Belarus as "political prisoners" are clearly far-fetched and inappropriate.

Representatives of the delegation emphasized that Western pressure on Belarus in this context is counterproductive and only exacerbates the existing contradictions. In conclusion, they called on their colleagues to take a balanced approach to the analysis of the processes taking place in Belarus.