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Belarus mulls ambassadors’ return to Warsaw, Brussels

Belarus considers sending back its ambassadors to Warsaw and Brussels, Andrey Savinykh, spokesman for the Belarusian foreign ministry, told reporters in Minsk on April 5, BelaPAN said.

After the European Union imposed travel bans and asset freezes on more Belarusians on February 27, Andrey Yewdachenka, Belarus’ permanent representative to the EU, and Viktar Haysyonak, the Belarusian ambassador to Poland, were recalled to Minsk “for consultations.” Simultaneously, the Belarusian authorities told the Minsk-based ambassadors of Poland and the EU to leave the country, a move that prompted the withdrawal of all other ambassadors of European Union countries from Belarus in a gesture of “solidarity and unity.”

Speaking at the news conference, Mr. Savinykh said that the Belarusian foreign ministry’s position on the possible return of EU member states’ ambassadors to Belarus had been aired before. “At this moment I have nothing to add to that. It’s quite possible that the foreign ministry will speak on that in the future,” he said.

On March 24, one day after the European Union’s blacklist was extended further, Mr. Savinykh said that the EU ambassadors’ return to Minsk would be "premature."

Mr. Savinykh declined on Thursday to say whether any consultations on the matter were underway between Belarus and the EU.

“I don’t speak about the ministry’s routine, everyday work. This is impossible, not a single foreign office in the world does so,” he explained.

Mr. Savinykh would not elaborate on the procedure of the diplomats’ return. “In general, international relations are not traffic rules. Of course, they are based on international law, which is a clearly developed sphere of contacts and cooperation. They are also based on diplomatic traditions. But various decisions may be made in each specific case,” he said.

A source at the foreign ministry of an EU member country told BelaPAN on April 4 that the European Union’s ambassadors would return en bloc to Belarus next week after the Easter break.

The decision to this effect was made by EU envoys in Brussels following a brief discussion, which testifies to the absence of differences on the issue within the EU, the source said.

The presence of the EU ambassadors in Minsk opens up more channels of information for the EU and gives it more opportunities to engage in talks with the authorities and the political opposition in order to influence the situation in the country, the officer said.

The EU believes that it should not focus narrowly on restrictive measures against Minsk, said the source.