EU Presidency statement on the violation of the Vienna Convention by the Belarusian authorities

Press release 276/2006
3 August, 2006

The Presidency of the European Union expresses its disapproval of the Belarusian authorities' actions on 25 July against a diplomat of the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Minsk. The Presidency considers this conduct of the Belarusian authorities against a diplomat of a Member State of the European Union to be in clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which Belarus has ratified on 14 May 1964.

The Presidency calls for an immediate explanation by the Belarusian authorities of this serious violation of international law and calls on Belarus to abide by its international commitments.