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Foreign ministers of Germany, Baltic states discuss situation in Belarus

The foreign ministers of Germany and the three Baltic states discussed the situation in Belarus at their meeting on the German island of Rugen on August 24.

German Minister Guido Westerwelle warned against forgetting that people are oppressed and thrown into prison in Belarus and expressed solidarity with Belarusian activists who advocate democracy and freedom, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle said.

Estonian Minister Urmas Paet described the political situation in Belarus as unacceptable.

His Lithuanian counterpart, Audronius Azubalis, said that Vilnius was concerned about the plans for the construction of nuclear power plants in Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad exclave "in breach of international safety standards," the Lithuanian foreign ministry's press office said.

Mr. Azubalis also mentioned the need to improve Schengen Area regulations. "This year we have been facing a number of practical challenges that demonstrate the need to strengthen Schengen mechanisms. This has to be done in order to avoid technical errors, which may have political consequences, and to ensure the safety of the Schengen area, as well as the credibility of free movement in the European Union," he was quoted as saying. //BelaPAN