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Crisis in Belarus

Russian senior diplomat warns US envoy against meddling in Belarus

He also pointed out the promise of the constitutional reform, aimed at the liberalization of the Belarusian political system, which would involve the representatives of the civic society, labor collectives and business circles

MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko underscored the unacceptability of attempts to meddle in Belarus’s internal affairs and to destabilize the country during his phone call with US Ambassador John Sullivan Thursday.

"A special attention was paid to the latest events in Belarus, as well as the situation with the Nagorno-Karabakh peace settlement," the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in its statement. "The Russian side underscored the unacceptability of any interference in the internal affairs, destabilization attempts and imposition of unilateral mediation services."

Rudenko also pointed out the promise of the constitutional reform, aimed at the liberalization of the Belarusian political system, which would involve the representatives of the civic society, labor collectives and business circles.

Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.

On Wednesday, Russian foreign Intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin stated that the US played a pivotal role in fomenting the anti-governmental protests in Belarus and took former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya under tight control.

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