MOSCOW, 21 August (BelTA) - The Council of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia called on the international community to respect the sovereign choice of the Belarusian people, reads a statement of the council published today on the website of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, BelTA has learned.
“We call on all countries to respect the sovereign choice of the Belarusian people," the document stresses.
The statement states that Aleksandr Lukashenko has been elected president of the Republic of Belarus on 9 August. “The election was held in accordance with the Constitution and the Electoral Code of Belarus. They were open, competitive and ensured the free expression of the will of the citizens of Belarus. The election campaign was monitored by a significant number of international observers, including from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia and the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. No facts questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election were registered,” the statement reads.
The Council of the Parliamentary Assembly considers that fanning tensions around the outcome of the vote contradicts the letter and spirit of international law.
“We declare that interference in the internal affairs of the state is unacceptable and oppose any attempts to destabilize the social and political situation in the Republic of Belarus. All issues must be resolved constructively, within the framework of the current legal framework. We are confident that the Belarusian people will show wisdom at this crucial moment, preserve peace and stability in the name of prosperity of their homeland,” the document says.
