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PRESS RELEASE
Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Belarus
Minsk, 21 October 2004
President of the United States George Bush has signed into
law the Belarus Democracy Act. This clearly unfriendly step can’t help
causing profound regret. The responsibility for complicating bilateral
relations will fully rest with the United States.
The Act is based on primordially wrong conceptions on the
objectives and contents of foreign and domestic policies of the Republic of
Belarus. Declaring the protection of sovereignty and independence of Belarus
as the objective of the Act, the American authorities have in fact rejected
the aspiration of the people of Belarus to create a stable sovereign state
where personal freedom of citizens is organically combined with ensuring
social justice.
The evident and substantial positive contribution made by the
Republic of Belarus to ensure global and European security and stability is
not taken into consideration. The actions of the US administration have
recently ever more clearly been aimed at deliberately aggravating relations
with the Republic of Belarus and encouraging its allies to act likewise.
The statement by the US President in connection with the
signing of the Act is also rooted in the cold war spirit of confrontational
approaches. It alleges undemocratic character of the elections to the House
of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and
of the nationwide referendum. Numerous foreign observers have affirmed that
both the elections and the referendum were held in Belarus in full
conformity with international standards. The leadership of Belarus has acted
and will continue to act in domestic policies within the framework of
democratic principles to ensure the rights and freedoms of citizens and to
further the well-being of the Belarusian people.
We consider the Act on Belarus as violating the United
Nations Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention and Interference
in the Internal Affairs of States of 9 December 1981 and the obligations
undertaken by the United States under the Memorandum of Security Assurances
in connection with the Republic of Belarus Accession to the Treaty on
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of 5 December 1994.
The Republic of Belarus will continue to aspire for equal
mutually beneficial relations in international affairs; however, we reject
any attempts of diktat and pressure from the United States. In the present
situation, the Belarusian side reserves the right to take reciprocal steps. |
