US embassy in Minsk to issue visas for all Belarusians from early 2018

The US Embassy in Minsk will begin to issue visas for all Belarus citizens in early 2018, US Charge d'Affairs in Belarus Robert Riley told reporters at a news conference on 1 November. Before today, the issue of visas was limited to Belarusians aged 70+. Now, this limitation is lowered to the age of 50+. According to Mr Riley, 'technical issues are now being sorted out.'

The process of resuming visa services in Belarus was expedited in the summer of 2017 after the US diplomatic missions in Russia suspended the issue of non-immigration visas following the US-Russia row. The US Embassy in Moscow and the Consulate in St Petersburg stopped accepting visa applications from Belarusians. When the US Embassy in Minsk approached Belarusian Foreign Ministry asking to facilitate a solution, both MFA and the Administration of Belarus President made a step forward. They demanded nothing in return, according to Mr Riley.

In 2016, 18000 Belarusians received US visas around the world.

The US Embassy officially opened in Minsk on 31 January 1992. The first US Ambassador to Belarus David Swartz began to work in Minsk on 25 August 1992. In early March 2008, a diplomatic row between Belarus and the United States erupted. When the US introduced sanctions against Belarusian petrochemical company Belneftekhim, Minsk urgently recalled its Ambassador Mikhail Khvastou. Belarusian MFA strongly recommended the then US Ambassador Karen Stewart to leave Belarus.

On 12 March 2008, after deportation threats, Karen Stewart was recalled from Belarus. Our country unilaterally reduced the number of staff at the embassy in Washington D.C. down to 5 persons and demanded that the US embassy in Minsk do the same. After the US government refused, Belarus deported several US embassy staff to equate the number of diplomats in Minsk and Washington. Simultaneously, the US Embassy suspended the issue of visas to Belarusians who had to travel to Russia to apply for a visa.

Although Belarus and the United States have slowly improved relations since 2015, they are yet to reinstate their ambassadors. The current US Charge d'Affairs in Minsk Robert Riley was appointed in 2016.