Russian diplomat: PACE Report on Belarus Distorts Reality

The report on the situation in Belarus, presented on January 25th at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, distorts Belarusian realities. Such an opinion was expressed by the member of the Russian delegation to PACE Valeri Frolov during the Assembly meeting.

The report on the situation in Belarus, presented on January 25^th at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, distorts Belarusian realities. Such an opinion was expressed by the member of the Russian delegation to PACE Valeri Frolov during the Assembly meeting.

“An unbiased person can easily see it. This report can probably describe the Sudan or Libya, but not modern Belarus,” he said. “When you arrive in Belarus, you will see cleanness and order, well-attended villages, polite and civilized people. But we stubbornly continue to speak to these people by means of sanctions and ultimatums. Some are even calling upon not to hold Ice Hockey World Championship in Belarus in 2014”.

The representative of Russia urged to end sanctions against Belarus. “There are no “smart” sanctions. They always affect common people. We should favour the return of Belarus to the Council of Europe and, above all, the return of its special guest status in the Assembly,” said Valeri Frolov.

In addition, he called the position of PACE regarding the lack of contacts with Belarusian government officials “strange”, noting that the continuation of Europe’s dialogue with Belarus is impossible without the contact with its officials.