“Zvyazda”: Declaration of US diplomats persona non grata is an operational issue
The second wave of Belarus-American conflict has not led to any fundamental changes in the positions of the two sides. The Belarusian press also sticks to the old opinion about the conflict. Independent mass media call the declaration of 10 US diplomats persona non grata a scandal while their colleagues from state newspapers think it is “a routine operational issue”. Both sides stick to their positions in the Belarus-America conflict that has reinforced. The USA demands that the Belarusian authorities should release the last “political prisoner” Alyaksandr Kazulin. In its turn, Belarus does not agree to meet half-way until America cancels all the economic sanctions imposed on our country.
The USA refuses to cancel the sanctions. And the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs declares 10 American diplomats persona non grata on April 30.
“This exceptional diplomatic measure usually applied to people suspected of espionage was used because the USA had refused to fulfill the recommendation of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affaires and did not reduce the staff of its Embassy to 5 people”, - informs “Belhazeta”.
The US chargé d'affaires pro tempore in Belarus Jonathan Moore also mentions the exceptional measure. “Belhazeta” quotes him:
“Moore called the measure “an unexampled incident in diplomatic relations history”. However, he stressed at a press conference that “the USA paid much more attention to the existence and the number of political prisoners in Belarus rather than to the number of American diplomats in the country”.
The “Zvyazda” newspaper accuses its independent colleagues of giving a radical slant to the events. According to “Zvyazda”, the declaration of 10 American diplomats persona non grata in Belarus is “a routine operational issue”:
“J.Moore received a note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a list of diplomats declared persona non grata who were to leave Belarus. Some mass media gave a sensational and scandalous slant to this routine operational issue of diplomatic relations. For example, some Russian edition referred to some source and informed that the American Embassy to Minsk was going to be closed down and the Belarusian Embassy to Washington would be closed too together with the Belarusian consulate in New York”.
The information about the closing of the Embassies was not confirmed. However, a representative of the Department of State Tom Kasey claimed that it was possible. Evidently, Belarus is trying to reach this goal to dismiss the subject of releasing political prisoners. This opinion was expressed by a former member of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affaires Karen Akopau in an interview with “Radio Liberty”:
“The main political goal set by the Belarusian authorities is dismissal of the subject of releasing political prisoners. Lukashenka is ready for unexampled steps in the diplomatic relations between the countries in order to reach it”.
Karen Akopau noted that the severance of diplomatic relations will not be to the good of Belarus: “The USA will endure it, it has been involved in many incidents of the kind”.
The director of Belarusian Institute for Strategic Research registered in Lithuania Vital Silitski commented on it in the same interview with “Radio Liberty”:
“The situation will be frozen until Kazulin is released. Or until some new conditions appear”.
However, Lukashenka explicitly mentioned the release of the last “political prisoner” Kazulin during his last appeal to the Belarusian people:
“We have decided to dismiss the subject. Five were released and the sixth refused to do it. What have we done wrong?”
However, the USA still has a few “trump cards” to play in the game with Belarus – it can expand economic sanctions and it is going to do it. Unfortunately, Belarus cannot expel anyone from the country. There are hardly any American diplomats left here.
The USA refuses to cancel the sanctions. And the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs declares 10 American diplomats persona non grata on April 30.
“This exceptional diplomatic measure usually applied to people suspected of espionage was used because the USA had refused to fulfill the recommendation of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affaires and did not reduce the staff of its Embassy to 5 people”, - informs “Belhazeta”.
The US chargé d'affaires pro tempore in Belarus Jonathan Moore also mentions the exceptional measure. “Belhazeta” quotes him:
“Moore called the measure “an unexampled incident in diplomatic relations history”. However, he stressed at a press conference that “the USA paid much more attention to the existence and the number of political prisoners in Belarus rather than to the number of American diplomats in the country”.
The “Zvyazda” newspaper accuses its independent colleagues of giving a radical slant to the events. According to “Zvyazda”, the declaration of 10 American diplomats persona non grata in Belarus is “a routine operational issue”:
“J.Moore received a note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a list of diplomats declared persona non grata who were to leave Belarus. Some mass media gave a sensational and scandalous slant to this routine operational issue of diplomatic relations. For example, some Russian edition referred to some source and informed that the American Embassy to Minsk was going to be closed down and the Belarusian Embassy to Washington would be closed too together with the Belarusian consulate in New York”.
The information about the closing of the Embassies was not confirmed. However, a representative of the Department of State Tom Kasey claimed that it was possible. Evidently, Belarus is trying to reach this goal to dismiss the subject of releasing political prisoners. This opinion was expressed by a former member of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affaires Karen Akopau in an interview with “Radio Liberty”:
“The main political goal set by the Belarusian authorities is dismissal of the subject of releasing political prisoners. Lukashenka is ready for unexampled steps in the diplomatic relations between the countries in order to reach it”.
Karen Akopau noted that the severance of diplomatic relations will not be to the good of Belarus: “The USA will endure it, it has been involved in many incidents of the kind”.
The director of Belarusian Institute for Strategic Research registered in Lithuania Vital Silitski commented on it in the same interview with “Radio Liberty”:
“The situation will be frozen until Kazulin is released. Or until some new conditions appear”.
However, Lukashenka explicitly mentioned the release of the last “political prisoner” Kazulin during his last appeal to the Belarusian people:
“We have decided to dismiss the subject. Five were released and the sixth refused to do it. What have we done wrong?”
However, the USA still has a few “trump cards” to play in the game with Belarus – it can expand economic sanctions and it is going to do it. Unfortunately, Belarus cannot expel anyone from the country. There are hardly any American diplomats left here.
