American diplomat: Decision on Belarus sanctions to be made after elections
The United States will make the final decision on Belarus sanctions after the parliamentary election in our country, U.S. chargé d'affaires ad interim Scott Roland said in the programme In Close-Up on Belarus-1 on May 31.
Belarus-USA relations are not being ‘reloaded’ now, the American diplomat thinks. Although the relations have not been the best for a few years, they are not bad enough to use this term.
The sanctions may be lifted only if Belarus demonstrates progress in the field of democracy and human rights. That is why the USA will assess the progress after the parliamentary election appointed for September.
The OSCE election principles are ‘a gold standard’ for us all, Roland thinks. Although there are no impeccable election systems, it is necessary to strive for perfection. OSCE observers always pay attention to transparency when assessing any elections, the diplomat noted.
The USA has prolonged the decision to alleviate Belarus sanctions made after the presidential election until October 31, 2016. The sanctions were imposed by President George Bush on June 16, 2006 in connection with the violation of human rights in Belarus and have been regularly prolonged since then, BelaPAN reports.
