Credit:  kr.usembassy.gov /  U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E. Biegun

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will visit Russia, Lithuania and Ukraine on August 24-27, the U.S. State Department announced  Sunday.  Although the specific nature of Ambassadors’ visit was not disclosed, the State Department said he “will  meet with senior government leaders to discuss a range of regional and international issues.” Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Friday that Biegun would travel to the region for talks on Belarus, citing sources, as Washington seeks a peaceful resolution to that country’s election crisis that averts Russian intervention. Deputy Secretary Biegun will also travel to Vienna, Austria August 27 to meet with counterparts at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to discuss issues related to regional security and human rights, the  State Department said.  Secretary Pompeo swore Biegun in as Deputy Secretary of State on December 21, 2019.

Opposition supporters in Belarus continued to hold mass rallies Monday  in the capital Minsk, two weeks after a disputed election gave President Alexander Lukashenko another term in office. Longtime President Lukashenko won 80.23% of the vote, with rival challenger  Sviatlana  Tikhanovskaya receiving 9.9%.  Critics  immediately denounced Lukashenko’s landslide victory as being rigged and mass protests erupted with thousands taking to the streets of capital city Minsk and across the country to vent frustration.   Tikhanovskaya fled Belarus and is in Lithuania after she asserted that the re-election of incumbent President  Lukashenko  was fraudulent. 

EU Stands In Solidarity With People Of BELARUS Demanding Peaceful Transition of Power  – EU To Impose Sanctions 

Credit: ec.europa.eu/  Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission in Brussels,  Belgium

The European Union does not recognize the results the recent presidential election in  Belarus and stands strongly with the people demanding a peaceful transition of power. The EU announced last week it  set to impose sanctions on individuals in the Belarus government responsible for violence,  repression and election fraud.  The EU held  an emergency summit meeting  in Brussels of the EU’s  heads of state and government on the violent crackdown on anti-government protests in Belarus.

EU Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen said:

“The people of Belarus want change and they want it now.  And we are pressed by the courage of the people of Belarus for exactly 10 days since presidential elections took place, the people of Belarus have taken to the streets in unprecedented number. They demand the release of all unlawful detained prisoners.  the prosecution of those responsible for police brutality, they want freedom of speech and assembly. And they want democracy and new presidential elections as these elections were neither fair nor free.”

Von der Leyen also said there was unanimous support for the EU “to be working on sanctions against those responsible for what is taking place.” She added:

“The EU believes that the results of the August 9 polls, which handed President Alexander Lukashenko his sixth term with 80% of the vote, “have been falsified,” and the 27-nation bloc is preparing a list of Belarus officials who could be blacklisted from Europe over their roles.”