David Merkel thinks US can lift sanctions imposed on Belarus
The deputy assistant of the US Secretary of State on European and Asian issues David Merkel gave an interview to ERB and said that he was satisfied with his visit to Minsk. According to Mr. Merkel, the main thing the USA has to do now is to demonstrate to Belarus that it approves of the release of political prisoners. Steps aimed at normalizing America-Belarus relations were discussed during a meeting with representatives of the authorities in Minsk. The main step is organization of democratic elections, thinks Mr. Merkel. David Merkel: “It was a very good visit. I went there right after the authorities had decided to release political prisoners. I had to say that it was a very positive step and to discuss further steps we could make to improve America-Belarus relations.
There are many things both sides have to pay attention to. I think the next Belarusian task is the coming elections. We expect the election to be better than the last one”.
David Merkel thinks that the Belarusian opposition has a chance to get to the Parliament. However, it will have to take part in the elections for it. That is why the USA hopes that there will be a great number of registered candidates.
David Merkel: “We expect to see a great number of registered candidates. I think opposition parties are focused on the elections. They need access to the media and a possibility to meet Belarusians – the things that attract votes during elections.
I think opposition members have a chance of getting to the Parliament as there will be 110 deputy mandates. It will let them expand their community and increase the number of voices Belarus will be able to hear”.
Mr. Merkel did not say whether the United State would demand to release an American citizen Emmanuel Zelser. However, they are watching whether Zelser is being kept in acceptable conditions.
David Merkel: “Mr. Zelzser is an American citizen. His fate is very important for us. We want to be sure that he is getting the medicine prescribed by his doctor. We would like the case to be closed. We will discuss it with the Belarusian authorities”.
David Merkel doubts that the number of employees of the American Embassy will reach the number that was registered at the beginning of the year. However, he hopes that there will be more American diplomats in Belarus soon.
David Merkel: “The status of our Embassy to Belarus is very important for the USA. We would like our Embassy to have as many diplomats as our government considers necessary. Of course, we are happy to see our flag in Minsk. And we are interested in increasing the number of our diplomats to the number registered at the beginning of March.
We discussed a lot of issues concerning the steps that could improve our relations during my visit to Minsk. The issue is very essential for us. We hope that our current Embassy will resemble the old one in the future”.
Speaking about the sanctions, the Department of State is not ready to answer what will happen to them. However, the release of political prisoners is a good sign. If the tendency persists, sanctions may be lifted, thinks David Merkel:
“The sanctions were imposed to encourage Belarus to perform positive changes. We would like to see such changes in Belarus and it would be a reason to lift the sanctions”.
Furthermore, Mr. Merkel noted that the USA cooperated with the European Union in the Belarusian issue. That is why simultaneous statements may be made soon.
There are many things both sides have to pay attention to. I think the next Belarusian task is the coming elections. We expect the election to be better than the last one”.
David Merkel thinks that the Belarusian opposition has a chance to get to the Parliament. However, it will have to take part in the elections for it. That is why the USA hopes that there will be a great number of registered candidates.
David Merkel: “We expect to see a great number of registered candidates. I think opposition parties are focused on the elections. They need access to the media and a possibility to meet Belarusians – the things that attract votes during elections.
I think opposition members have a chance of getting to the Parliament as there will be 110 deputy mandates. It will let them expand their community and increase the number of voices Belarus will be able to hear”.
Mr. Merkel did not say whether the United State would demand to release an American citizen Emmanuel Zelser. However, they are watching whether Zelser is being kept in acceptable conditions.
David Merkel: “Mr. Zelzser is an American citizen. His fate is very important for us. We want to be sure that he is getting the medicine prescribed by his doctor. We would like the case to be closed. We will discuss it with the Belarusian authorities”.
David Merkel doubts that the number of employees of the American Embassy will reach the number that was registered at the beginning of the year. However, he hopes that there will be more American diplomats in Belarus soon.
David Merkel: “The status of our Embassy to Belarus is very important for the USA. We would like our Embassy to have as many diplomats as our government considers necessary. Of course, we are happy to see our flag in Minsk. And we are interested in increasing the number of our diplomats to the number registered at the beginning of March.
We discussed a lot of issues concerning the steps that could improve our relations during my visit to Minsk. The issue is very essential for us. We hope that our current Embassy will resemble the old one in the future”.
Speaking about the sanctions, the Department of State is not ready to answer what will happen to them. However, the release of political prisoners is a good sign. If the tendency persists, sanctions may be lifted, thinks David Merkel:
“The sanctions were imposed to encourage Belarus to perform positive changes. We would like to see such changes in Belarus and it would be a reason to lift the sanctions”.
Furthermore, Mr. Merkel noted that the USA cooperated with the European Union in the Belarusian issue. That is why simultaneous statements may be made soon.
