The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) chairperson-in-office, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, offered on Friday to facilitate a dialogue in Belarus to settle the ongoing crisis in the country
VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2020) The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) chairperson-in-office, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, offered on Friday to facilitate a dialogue in Belarus to settle the ongoing crisis in the country.
Earlier in the day, the OSCE Permanent Council held a special meeting on the situation in Belarus.
"I am proposing that the OSCE becomes a facilitator of the necessary dialogue, to help Belarus out of this situation. We truly hope that there is a positive response to this offer from the Government of Belarus. I am ready to make it work � to engage, to listen, to understand and to support, in every possible way I can," Rama said, as quoted in an OSCE press release.
At the same time, Rama stressed that the OSCE would not take sides or interfere in the internal affairs of Belarus.
"The situation must be resolved in Minsk and among the people of Belarus, in full respect for their sovereignty, their independence and their human rights," he said.
A wave of mass opposition protests has swept Belarus in the wake of the August 9 presidential election that saw incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko re-elected for a sixth term. While electoral authorities maintain that Lukashenko collected over 80 percent of the vote, the opposition insists that his key contender, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, won the election.
The early days of the demonstrations were marked by police violence, but law enforcement officers have since halted their excessive use of force. Over 6,700 people have been detained, and hundreds have been injured, including more than 150 police officers. According to the Belarusian Interior Ministry, three people have died during the protests.
