Verkhovna Rada complains to PACE: MP Guz is forbidden to enter Belarus

The foreign affairs committee of the Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada has lodged a complaint to PACE and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe because Belarus has blacklisted Ukrainian MPs, BelaPAN reports.

Belarus has restricted the access of Ukrainian VR members (some of them are PACE members) to its territory. In particular, deputy head of the foreign affairs committee Igor Guz and senior deputy head of the Verkhovna Rada Irina Gerashchenko were mentioned in the letter.

The decision contradicts democratic traditions while Belarus is trying to restore relations with the PACE, Ukrainian MPs reckon.

Igor Guz was not allowed to enter Belarus on April 25. Belarusian frontier guards explained it by the fact that he was forbidden to enter Russia. Guz had been planning to take part in the street action Chernobyl March and visit the relatives of Belarusians participating in the anti-terrorist operation in Donets Basin.

Irina Gershchenko, participant of the Minsk group talks, had to spend several hours at the Belarusian border on April 26. She was not allowed to enter our country for the same reason as Guz – Russia had forbidden her to enter its territory. However, she was eventually allowed to enter Belarus until May 25 after the diplomatic incident was exposed in the media.