US Secretary of State calls for real progress in relations with Belarus
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The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to “normalise” ties with Belarus at a time when relations between Minsk and its traditional ally Russia are under strain.
The United States and the European Union have been frequent critics of authoritarian rule and the human rights record in Belarus, where President Alexander Lukashenko has been in office since 1994.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for “real progress” in bilateral relations with Belarus following a meeting in Minsk with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on February 1.
epaselect epa08184316 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei (R) walk prior their talk to media at the Palace of Independence in Minsk, Belarus, 01 February 2020. Pompeo is on an official visit to Belarus. EPA-EFE/TATYANA ZENKOVICH
epa08184408 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (L) shake their hands at the Palace of Independence in Minsk, Belarus, 01 February 2020. Pompeo is on an official visit to Belarus. EPA-EFE/NIKOLAI PETROV / BELTA / POOL
epa08184412 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (3R) talk at the Palace of Independence in Minsk, Belarus, 01 February 2020. Pompeo is on an official visit to Belarus. EPA-EFE/NIKOLAI PETROV / BELTA / POOL
Lukashenka told Pompeo it was “very good that you risked coming to Minsk after various misunderstandings between Belarus and the U.S.” Pompeo’s visit is the first by a U.S. secretary of state to Belarus since Warren Christopher accompanied then-President Bill Clinton to Minsk in 1994.
