Belarus Continues Providing Consular Services to US Citizens in Full Scale

Belarus’ embassy in Washington and the country’s consulate general in New York continue to provide consular services to US citizens in full scale, Andrey Papow, spokesman for the foreign ministry, said at Thursday’s briefing.

“All requests that these diplomatic offices receive from US citizens are granted,” he said. “We work in order that there will be no complaints against us on the part of American citizens.”

This past spring the US embassy in Minsk stopped issuing visas to Belarusian citizens after it had to reduce its diplomatic staff in Minsk from 32 to four by order of the Belarusian government, which retaliated for Washington’s sanctions against Belarus’ state petrochemical conglomerate Belnaftakhim.

On March 7, Minsk recalled its ambassador to the USA, Mikhail Khvastow, "for consultations" after the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a statement with regard to the applicability of the sanctions. The Belarusian foreign ministry emphatically recommended that US Ambassador Karen Stewart leave Belarus "for the same purpose." The ambassador went away after the Belarusian government had threatened to expel her. In addition, Minsk cut its diplomatic staff in the United States and urged Washington to reduce its staff in Belarus to the same number.

“We are aware of and concerned about the circumstance that our citizens are not provided with consular services in due scale by our American colleagues,” Mr. Papow said. “This is the matter of the responsibility of the American side before the citizens of Belarus. Our American colleagues often say that they care much about the interests of Belarusian citizens. There is a need to prove these words by a real deed.”

Mr. Papow also said that the embassy in Washington currently has five diplomats, and that the embassy does not employ US citizens. “All the officers who have returned to the homeland will receive jobs at the foreign ministry of Belarus,” he said. According to him, Ambassador Khvastow stays in Minsk and “holds consultations on the entire spectrum of issues relating to Belarusian-American relations.”

When asked about Minsk’s possible response to the US sanctions, the spokesman said, “Like any other state, we’ll, of course, defend our interests. Time will show what method will be employed.” “Sanctions are not a civilized method of settling disputes in international relations,” he added.