MINSK, 14 October (BelTA) – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Belarus Igor Kizim has been summoned to the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has been handed a note from the ministry. The note expressed concern over the Ukrainian president's decree on measures to attract entrepreneurs and highly qualified specialists, who are citizens of the Republic of Belarus. In violation of the universally recognized legal norms the decree targets only Belarusian citizens, the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told BelTA.
The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is convinced that the Ukrainian president's decree cannot be interpreted as anything but a clearly unfriendly and discriminatory step that borders on interference in Belarus' domestic affairs.
The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the decree's adoption undermines trust in Belarusian-Ukrainian relations and runs contrary to provisions of the Belarusian-Ukrainian agreement on friendship, good neighborhood, and cooperation as well as provisions of intergovernmental agreements on trade and economic cooperation, on visa-free travels of citizens, and on labor and social protection of Belarusian and Ukrainian citizens, who work outside their home countries.
The note insists that Ukraine should take measures to honor its commitments in relations with Belarus. The Belarusian side is sincerely unwilling to damage friendly ties with the Ukrainian nation and has no intention of crossing the red line in relations with Ukraine. At the same time Belarus reserves the right to take reciprocal measures if the need is justified in order to protect national interests in compliance with international norms.
