US, Belarus to restore ambassador exchange after 11-year freeze
(Baonghean) - According to DW on September 18, the US and Belarus are planning to exchange ambassadors after 11 years of "freezing". This move to warm up relations takes place in the context of Belarus seeking to ease its isolation in the West, while balancing its close relationship with Russia. The US and Belarus withdrew their ambassadors in 2008.
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| Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Photo: Imago |
David Hale, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on September 17 in the capital Minsk, as the two sides look to restore relations.
“Our meeting today marks a historic moment in US-Belarus relations. I am pleased to announce that we are preparing to exchange ambassadors as the next step in normalizing relations,” the US diplomat said.
The United States recalled its ambassador to Minsk in 2008, after the former Soviet republic imposed a reduction in diplomatic staff at the US Embassy in response to sanctions Washington imposed on Belarus over its human rights record. Since then, both countries' embassies have been run by counselors.
Often called “Europe’s last dictatorship,” Belarus has been a target of Western sanctions. But Mr. Lukashenko has sought to build better relations with the United States and the European Union, while also trying to mend relations with Russia and ease his isolation in the West.
Washington and the EU eased sanctions on Minsk in 2016. Experts say Belarus is increasingly “pursuing a balanced, multi-dimensional foreign policy” that seeks to balance relations between Russia and the West.
Russia and Belarus formed a nominal “union” in 1996 and have close economic and military cooperation. The 65-year-old leader Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
There has been speculation that President Putin might be considering reviving the Union State of Russia and Belarus, but Mr Lukashenko has dismissed the rumours.
