Estonian Prime Minister Says EU Should Provide Tough Response To Situation In Belarus

Estonian Prime Minister Says EU Should Provide Tough Response to Situation in Belarus

The European Union should firmly respond to the recent developments in Belarus, which has been engulfed in violent protests following a presidential election, Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said on Thursday

HELSINKI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2020) The European Union should firmly respond to the recent developments in Belarus, which has been engulfed in violent protests following a presidential election, Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said on Thursday.

On Friday, EU foreign ministers will hold a special video conference on the situation in Belarus. The decision on the meeting was made following the request of Poland, which expressed a readiness to mediate the conflict between the Belarusian government and the opposition earlier this week.

"Tomorrow, foreign ministers of the European Union member states will meet [to discuss] the same topic. The EU's response to what is happening in Belarus must be unified, timely and tough," Ratas said at a press conference.

The prime minister added that Estonia condemned "all political repressions violence against the opposition," as well as demanded that violence against the protesters end immediately.

People have been on the streets in Belarus since Sunday evening, when the election results showed incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko secure his sixth term with over 80 percent of the vote.

The demonstrations have been harshly suppressed by the security forces, with law enforcement officers using tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Thousands of people were arrested and many journalists, both domestic and foreign, went missing.

According to the Belarusian Interior Ministry, a person who tried to throw an unidentified explosive device at law enforcement officers was killed during the riots. Another person is reported dead after being detained in the city of Gomel.