MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2021) US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet has held telephone talks with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei discussing bilateral ties and the situation in Belarus, the State Department informs.
"Counselor Chollet made clear the need for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Belarus without exception, specifically citing the urgency of the case of RFE/RL consultant Ihar Losik. The Counselor and the Foreign Minister also discussed the pending exchange of ambassadors between the United States and Belarus, noting that open lines of communication would benefit both countries," the State Department said on Monday.
According to the release, Chollet made clear during the Monday call with Makei that the US was strongly supporting the opposition's protest movement in Belarus.
Mass protests have been held in Belarus following the presidential election on August 9, 2020, that saw President Alexander Lukashenko reelected 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.
Last week Tikhanovskaya said that the United States should further assist the Belarusian opposition by imposing additional sanctions on Minsk that would target state-owned enterprises, judiciary and oligarchs.
