Return of ambassadors not on immediate Belarus-US agenda

Belarus and United States will discuss the return of the ambassadors to Minsk and Washington but in the next days to come, Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleh Krauchanka told the Russian news agency TASS during his visit to the American capital. 

Belarus recalled its ambassador from Washington and insusted that the US ambassador must leave Minsk in 2008 after United Stated introduced sanactions against Belarus individuals and companies over human rights violations. In the view of Krauchanka, the situaion may change after the election of a new president in the US. "There is a new administration [in Washington], so we will discuss this topic. But I cannot say we will be discussing it already tomorrow. We are yet to come to that," the diplomat said.

Krauchanka also said that Belarus and European Union have not agreed yet about the simplification of the visa regime but negotiations continue. "Recently, we held consultations in Brussels on the level of the Main Consular Division in our Foreign Ministry and the corresponding officials from the European Commission," he said.