MINSK, 10 August (BelTA) – Belarus' Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the unilateral coercive measures against Belarus imposed by the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Canada on 9 August, reads the commentary by the Foreign Ministry, BelTA has learned.
"Thus, these countries have once again demonstrated a complete disregard for international law, their own international and bilateral obligations, and exposed the true goals of their policy towards Belarus," the ministry said.
Hiding behind the hypocritical human rights and democracy protection slogans, Belarus' western opponents are, in fact, guided by cold geopolitical considerations. "Their actions are directly aimed at undermining the sovereignty and independence of Belarus, the well-being and prosperity of the Belarusian people," the ministry said.
The ministry noted that the only thing that the West, which has dismissively ignored the results of the vote in Belarus, is seeking is a change of power in Belarus. It has employed the entire arsenal of Cold War methods such as the external political and information pressure, an air embargo, using sport for political goals and economic strangulation.
"The unilateral measures imposed by the United States, the UK and Canada against our country run counter to the UN Charter and international law, their OSCE obligations," the commentary says.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that the United States and the UK were among the signatories to the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. They reaffirmed their commitment to Belarus to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Belarus of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind. “Belarus will carry out a thorough assessment of the restrictions adopted yesterday by the United States, the UK and Canada against our country, and will take adequate response measures,” the ministry stressed. “At all stages, Belarus has consistently advocated an open and equal dialogue with the countries of the West, which should be based not on sanctions and pressure but on the universally recognized principles and norms of international law and interstate communication.
