Lukashenka closes OSCE office in Belarus

• 31.12.2010, 17:00

The Belarusian ruler has adopted a decision not to extend the mandate of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)'s office in Minsk.

“It should be noted that it is a knowledgeable decision caused by the lack of objective reasons for the continuation of the OSCE mission in Belarus. This position has been stated officially by the Belarusian side over the last few years,” the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus reads.

On December 31 resident representative of Belarus in international organizations in Vienna Alyaksandr Sychou (Sychev) notified members of the OSCE Permanent Council about the decision.

We remind that the ODIHR/OSCE international mission on election observation, which observers monitored the presidential election, stated that the presidential election in Belarus cannot be considered democratic.