Belarus withdraws agrément for U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher, suggests curtailing US Embassy staff in Minsk to 5 persons by Sep 1 – Belarus MFA

<p> MINSK, Aug 11 - PrimePress. Belarus has withdrawn its agrément for U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher and suggested reducing the Minsk-based embassy staff to five persons by 1 September. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Spokesman for the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anatoly Glaz made a statement to this effect on August 11. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Glaz said the decision was part of Belarus’ response to the U.S. sanctions introduced on 9 Aug 2021. </p> <p>   </p> <p> “Today we summoned U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Ruben Harutyunyan to communicate him the information about Belarus' measures in response to the unfriendly and even aggressive actions of the United States,” Glaz said. </p> <p>   </p> <p> He noted that in recent years two countries have done a lot of work to mend diplomatic ties. “Therefore, it is a pity that the brazen and openly hostile actions of the United States and some of its individual representatives, that hardly fit the concept of diplomacy and professionalism, have eroded the gains achieved by their predecessors and forced us to withdraw the previously issued agrément for U.S. Ambassador-Designate to Belarus Julie Fisher," Glaz said. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Besides, the U.S side was asked to reduce the embassy staff to five people by 1 September. “Amidst Washington's actions to downscale cooperation in all areas, taking into consideration economic strangulation of our country, we see no objective reasons for such a significant diplomatic presence of the United States in Belarus. It is simply unclear what they are going to do here against such a background,” Glaz explained. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Belarus will suspend the approval procedures for all new projects, grants and programs of the U.S. government. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Glaz informed that Belarus reserve the right to take additional countermeasures. The spokesman emphasized that Belarus is ready for dialogue and will revise a number of its retaliatory measures if Washington brings its policy towards Belarus back to a constructive track. </p> <p>   </p> <p> As previously reported, the United States on 9 Aug 2021 introduced sanctions against 23 individuals and 21 companies from Belarus. US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Monday that expands sanctions introduced earlier by the US administration against Belarus. The scope of US sanctions has been expanded in response to “the Belarusian regime’s harmful activities and long-standing abuses aimed at suppressing democracy and the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Belarus — including illicit and oppressive activities stemming from the August 9, 2020, fraudulent Belarusian presidential election and its aftermath, such as the elimination of political opposition and civil society organizations and the regime’s disruption and endangering of international civil air travel — constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States”. </p> <p>   </p> <p> As previously reported, Belarus recalled its ambassador to the United States, Mikhail Khvostov, in March 2008 after the US imposed additional sanctions against the Belneftekhim state petrochemical concern. Belarusian authorities demanded that US Ambassador Karen Stewart leave Belarus, and that the number of American diplomats reduce from 35 to five. Since then, the embassies had been headed by charges d’affaires. The Foreign Ministry of Belarus lifted restrictions on the number of American diplomats in March 2019. </p> <p>   </p> <p> US Under Secretary of State David Hale announced in September 2019 that the United States and Belarus were ready to appoint ambassadors. President Donald Trump nominated Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Europe and the EU Julie D. Fisher as United States ambassador to Belarus. Fisher previously served as deputy chief of mission of the US Mission to NATO and charge d’affaires a.i. of the US embassies in Russia, and counselor at the US embassies in Georgia and Ukraine. </p> <p>   </p> <p> The US has not recognised the official outcome of the August 2020 presidential election in Belarus. The administration of President-elect Joseph Biden has not yet announced the timing of Ambassador Fisher’s arrival in Minsk or whether she will present her credentials to Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. </p> <p>   </p> <p> In Apr 2021 Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Mantas Adomenas, the USA requested Lithuania to accredit its Ambassador Julie Fisher, who was denied a Belarusian visa to work in Minsk. The U.S. Embassy in Lithuania said that Fisher planned to continue communicating with Belarusians outside Belarus, including leaders of the protest movement, independent journalists and representatives of civil society, in order to support them. Apart from Fisher, five other U.S. diplomats were not granted Belarusian visas. End </p>

2021-08-12

Primepress