Belarus's foreign minister on Saturday warned Western nations against imposing sanctions on the country's disputed presidential election and cracking down on protesters, saying his concern was "nothing more than an attempt to spread chaos in our country." do not have."
"Our internal affairs, sanctions and other sanctions on
Belarus will be counterproductive," Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Mackie
told the UN Security Council. It's bad for everyone. "
"We urge our partners to show wisdom, patience and
impartiality," he said in the first recorded address of the US Summit on
Corona Virus Epidemic Online.
Mikey's speech was made’ in Belarus on August 9, just hours
after a series of large-scale protests in Belarus over the re-election of
President Alexander Lukashenko, which opponents say was’ rigged. The
dictatorial leader further infuriated opponents this week by taking the oath of
office for a new term in an unexpected and secret ceremony.
The protests are the largest and most permanent in Belarus since
independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Mackie's comments about the
international community, including that the election was "chosen by the
people", could lead to more protests on Sunday. Rallies are usually the
largest on Sundays, and sometimes have a crowd of 200,000.
In the first three days of the August protests, police used tear
gas, food and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Several protesters were
killed’ several were injured and about 6,000 people were detained.
Amid international outrage over the crackdown, Belarusian
authorities have called for legal action against top activists. Many members of
the Coordinating Council, a group called for’ by the opposition to transfer
power, have been arrested or forced to’ flee the country.
Last week, the US Human Rights Council passed a resolution
calling for an investigation into possible human rights abuses by Lukashenko's
government, with a report due later this year. Ø¢.۔
The United States and the European Union have questioned the
election and criticized police crackdowns on peaceful protesters. The European
Union (EU) is considering sanctions for Belarus's top officials, but failed to
agree on a deal this week and plans to continue talks next week. The United
Kingdom, meanwhile, said Thursday it was working on sanctions and was in talks
with the United States and Canada.
European Union Council President Charles Michel said in a video
address to the General Assembly on Friday that "coercion and intimidation
must be stopped" and that those responsible must be held’ accountable.
"We stand with the people of Belarus who must be free to
choose their future, without any external coercion," Michelle said.
Lukashenko has called for talks with the opposition and rejected
Belarus's protest as part of a Western plot to oust Russia's main sponsor and
ally, Russia.
Mackie said the situation in Belarus was "really
complicated", but dismissed Western complaints as "interference with
allegations of religious intolerance".
"In fact, these are nothing but attempts to create chaos
and anarchy in our country in order to deprive Belarus of many years of
development," he said.
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