Minsk recalls its ambassador to the UK over ‘unfriendly behaviour’ in London

Moscow, July 29. Belarus announced today the withdrawal of its ambassador to the United Kingdom and the downgrading of diplomatic relations to the level of chargé d’Affairs in response to London’s “unfriendly actions”.

“The decision was taken to reduce the level of representation of our country in London for the Chargé d’Affairs,” the Belta Agency quoted a spokesman for the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anatoly Glaz, as saying.

The representative of the Belarusian diplomacy noted that he responded “to a whole series of unfriendly steps taken by the United Kingdom, which are systematically aimed at inflicting as much harm as possible on Belarusian citizens and legal entities.”

According to Glaz, the withdrawal of his ambassador does not mean closing the channels of dialogue with London, as “the diplomatic presence will return after the arrival of responsible politicians to the British government.”

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson mentioned several “unfriendly actions” by London, including sanctions against Belarusian businessmen, the country’s economy and financial system, restrictions on Belarusian media, and a ban on flights by Belavia, the Belarusian airline.

In addition, he criticized the denial of visas to members of the Belarusian parliament for their participation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and “other additional restrictive measures that do not allow for a full dialogue at the current stage.”

London has imposed various sanctions on Minsk, first in the 2020 presidential election, in which Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner, which the West called fraudulent, and more recently for its support of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Among the most recent restrictions are a ban on exports to Belarus of “refined petroleum products; high-tech components, such as those used in quantum computing; and luxury goods, such as artwork and designer bags.”

At the same time, the import of “Belarusian iron and steel” was banned.

The British government also restricted Belarusian access to the financial services sector, preventing, for example, more Belarusian companies from issuing debt in London. EFE

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