TIRANA, Aug. 24 – Albania has reiterated its offer to mediate the Belarus crisis.
Chairperson-in-office of the OSCE, Edi Rama and Ann Linde of Sweden sent a letter to President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus on August 22, wherein they reaffirmed OSCE’s support to Belarus.
“We would like to reiterate our offer of visit to Belarus, in order to listen to views regarding the situation and have a discussion on the current challenges in the country,” the two wrote.
As protestors took the streets of the capital city on Monday, disputing the victory of the latest elections, Lukashenko appeared to be brandishing an assault rifle in Minsk. Last week also saw violent clashes with opposition protesters and numerous allegations of police brutality, which have raised international concern.
In a press conference on Monday, German Government spokesman Steffen Seibert reiterated the need for OSCE to mediate the crisis.
“The weekend footage shows that citizens in Belarus have shown great courage and protested freely in large numbers on the streets. They should be given the opportunity for a better future for their country, ” he said.
Belarus has yet to respond to OSCE’s meeting offer, although the European Council, the EU and the US have expressed readiness to provide assistance in conducting the meeting.
