WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th August, 2020) US Senator Chris Murphy in a statement on Tuesday called on the Senate to delay the confirmation of nominee Julie Fisher to be the US ambassador to Belarus due to the civil unrest in Minsk related to the the controversial presidential election.
"Trump wants to restore diplomatic relations with Belarus. The Ambassador nominee is pending in the Senate," Murphy said via Twitter. "Right now, this would be a huge mistake. It would look like an endorsement of [President Alexander] Lukashenko's crackdown. The Senate should set aside this nomination."
On Sunday, Belarus held its presidential election, which resulted in incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko winning 80.08 percent of the vote. The runner-up candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, won 10.9 percent.
The results have triggered widespread protests in the country, resulting in 3,000 arrests. A Sputnik correspondent in Minsk reported on Tuesday that the local police was preparing to restrict traffic on the streets of Minsk as the capital is bracing up for the third night of protests. Central streets of the city are being patrolled by reinforced police units.
Diplomatic relations between the United States and Belarus deteriorated in 2008 when both countries recalled their respective ambassadors. Recently, Minsk and Washington have made efforts to improve relations that culminated with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to the Belarusian capital in February.
