MINSK, March 31. /TASS/. Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Aleynik discussed the current situation in the country with the US Charge d’Affaires ad interim Jeffrey Giauque, the Foreign Ministry press service announced Wednesday.

"On March 31, the Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Aleynik held a meeting with the US Charge d’Affaires Jeffrey Giauque," the statement says. "The sides discussed the current situation in Belarus and exchanged opinions on matters of bilateral interaction."

On March 22, US Counsellor of the US Department of State Derek Chollet discussed the situation in Belarus and bilateral relations with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makey. During the phone call, the sides "discussed the upcoming exchange of envoys between the US and Belarus, noting that open lines of communication will benefit both countries."

Chollet also confirmed the new envoy’s readiness to arrive to the republic. During the call, Chollet pointed out the necessity of release of all political prisoners in the republic.

Following the 2008 diplomatic scandal, Minsk and Washington withdrew their ambassadors and reduced the embassy membership to the bare minimum. The relations began to warm up following the 2015 presidential elections. In 2019, the sides stated their readiness to return the ambassadors. The US appointed Julie D. Fisher as the new Ambassador to Belarus. However, the normalization of relations stalled after the 2020 presidential elections in Belarus. In late December, the US Department of State announced that Fisher was sworn in, but she still has not arrived in Minsk.