Belarus Headlines

In late July Belarusian Foreign Minister Siarhei Martynau paid an official visit to Italy where he met with the president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Riccardo Migliori. The meeting focused on the international observation of the parliamentary election that is scheduled for 23 September. Mr. Migliori expressed hope that the elections would “register significant progress on the democratic process and human rights with respect to recent elections in the country.” Prior to his trip to Rome, Martynau participated in the European Union and Eastern Partnership foreign ministers meeting in Brussels. The presence of Belarusian Foreign Minister Martynau gave the EU an opportunity to convey its deep concern regarding the lack of respect for human rights, the rule of law and independent media in Belarus, Catherine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy stressed the importance of the immediate release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners, of reversing the current repressive policies and of free and fair parliamentary elections in September