Belarus has linked the decision to the event organised by Estonia a few days ago in New York to support Belarusian opposition, with the Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya attending.
Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said this kind of a reaction shows the criminal face of the Belarusian regime all the more clearly. “Estonia will always support the democratic aspirations of the opposition and civil society in Belarus to make sure the violations of human rights and international law do not go unnoticed,” Reinsalu emphasised. He added that increased pressure must be put on the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
“The Belarusian authorities have also been accomplices in Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine, already in its seventh month. This is why we must ramp up the sanctions against the regime, continue isolating the country internationally and work towards legal accountability because the Lukashenko regime must not feel it has impunity,” the foreign minister said.
“We take note of the decision of Belarus on reducing embassy staff and will respond in a manner we see fit,” Reinsalu said.
