Bulgaria recalls its ambassador from Belarus for consultations in Sofia

Bulgaria's ambassador to Minsk was recalled back to Sofia for consultations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva assured Belarusion opposition presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya that Bulgaria is ready to support her country.

"In the European Union, we are discussing how to support the desire of the Belarusian society for democracy. Bulgaria is ready to support you, we also went through such a period in 1989," said Zaharieva.

The meeting between the two took place as part of the 15th edition of the GLOBSEC forum in Bratislava. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya briefed the Bulgarian Foreign Minister on the current situation in Belarus.

"Thank you for your leadership and strong support for the Belarusian people," Tikhanovskaya said. Zaharieva stressed that she was glad to see so many brave women in Belarus.

At the same time, in connection with the development of the situation in Belarus, it was decided to recall the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Belarus Georgi Vassilev for consultations in Sofia as a sign of full solidarity and support for our partners in the European Union - Poland and Lithuania, against which actions were taken to impede their diplomatic activity in Belarus. This decision is an expression of the EU's unified and coordinated approach.

On October 8, Ambassador Georgi Vassilev handed a note to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry giving notice of the decision.

Attempts by the Belarusian authorities to put pressure on diplomatic missions of EU member states are unacceptable. In addition, we reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and all those detained during the peaceful protests in Belarus, for a swift and effective investigation into police violence and for a real national dialogue with the opposition, with the ultimate goal of organizing new, free and fair elections, in accordance with the democratic demands of the Belarusian people.

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Lithuania and Poland on October 5 recalled their ambassadors from Belarus.

Belarus accuses the two neighbouring countries of meddling in its affairs by hosting exiled opposition leaders and refusing to recognise the victory of Alexander Lukashenko in Aug. 9 presidential election.

Lukashenko’s opponents accuse him of rigging the vote, which he denies. The former Soviet republic has been rocked by weeks of protests that have drawn a violent crackdown, prompting the United States and European Union to impose sanctions on Minsk.

The foreign ministries of Poland and Lithuania, nations that offer support to the Belarusian opposition, have said they were recalling their ambassadors from Minsk for consultations. Poland suggested ambassadors from some other European Union countries were also being recalled.

The move by Poland and Lithuania followed Friday’s announcement by Belarus that it was recalling its ambassadors from the two countries and urged them to do the same.