Pompeo Says US, Europe Must Figure Out How To Confront Situation In Belarus

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2020) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an interview on Wednesday said that the United States and Europe must decide how to tackle the current situation in Belarus.

"And we watched an election go on that was not free, that was not fair, and now we've seen them take actions against peaceful protesters that concern us all greatly," Pompeo told Czech tv. "I think Europe, I think the United States all need to figure out how to confront this in a way that delivers a good outcome for the people of Belarus."

Pompeo stressed that the situation in Belarus is of real concern to Washington.

"Just like we want freedom for the people in all parts of Europe, we want... that for them in a place like Belarus that has been under a challenging set of conditions for quite some time," he added.

Unsanctioned mass protests have been ongoing in Belarus since Sunday evening, when the first election results showed incumbent Alexander Lukashenko secure his sixth term with over 80 percent of the vote, and the opposition challenged the outcome.

During the first days of unrest, protesters erected barricades and hurled Molotov cocktails at law enforcement officers. The police responded with tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades. Some 6,000 people have been detained. According to the interior ministry, one man died while attempting to throw an unidentified explosive device at law enforcement officers.

From: Liudmila Chernova - [email protected]