Sanna Marin to attend EU leaders meeting on Belarus

Prime Minister Sanna Marin will attend on Wednesday 19 August an extraordinary video meeting of the members of the European Council to address the situation in Belarus, the Government Communications Department said in a press release.

In the EU’s view, the presidential elections held in Belarus on 9 August were neither free nor fair. In their meeting, the EU leaders will discuss ways to support peaceful democratic development in Belarus.

The EU has condemned the electoral fraud and the violence of state authorities against citizens and has called for the immediate release of the imprisoned demonstrators.

In their video meeting on 14 August, the EU Ministers for Foreign Affairs decided to begin preparations for sanctions against "those responsible for the violence, the repression of demonstrations and the falsification of election results," the government release says.

Warnings against interference

European leaders called for calm and dialogue in Belarus and an end to violence on Tuesday, after unrest followed the country's disputed election, while some voices warned against interference.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) offered to help conduct a dialogue between the government of Belarus and the political opposition in the country, Sweden's foreign minister said.

Sweden is the incoming chair of the 57-member OSCE that Belarus also belongs to. "We have said that we are willing to travel to Minsk -  along with Albania, the current chair of the OSCE - to assist with a dialogue to achieve political change in the country," Ann Linde told Swedish Radio.

Linde said Sweden does not recognize Lukashenko's August 9 re-election.

The parliaments of Lithuania and Latvia likewise called for new elections to be held in Belarus.

Lithuanian lawmakers said European Union institutions and EU and NATO member countries should not recognize Lukashenko as president, and should impose sanctions on his regime.

However, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda also warned against interference in the country. "The most important thing is that neither West nor East interfere in the internal affairs of Belarus. That would not be justified," Nauseda told Lithuanian radio.

Merkel talked with Putin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Belarusian protests during a phone call.

Merkel stressed "that the Belarusian government must put a stop to violence against peaceful protesters, release all political prisoners immediately and engage in a national dialogue with the opposition and society in order to overcome the crisis," her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said.

The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin had warned Merkel against foreign interference.

Putin cautioned against attempts to "interfere in the internal affairs" of Belarus, the Kremlin said. Moscow also said it expected the tense situation in its neighbour and ally to soon calm down.

European Council chief Charles Michel and Putin also discussed the situation in Belarus, Michel said.

Belarusian army 'combat ready'

Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has ordered the army on his country's western border to be combat ready, he told the security council in Minsk on Tuesday, as the opposition sought to organize a way out of the crisis.

The units are now ready to carry out their duties, according to remarks reported by BelTA news agency.

"We don't only have internal problems but also external ones," Lukashenko said.

He had already ordered the transfer of paratroopers to Grodno in western Belarus near the Polish and Lithuanian border at the weekend, citing the tense security situation there.

Mass protests and strikes continue in Belarus, often referred to as Europe's last dictatorship, following a presidential election on August 9 in which Lukashenko is accused of rigging the vote in his favour.

Lukashenko, 65, has led the Eastern European nation for 26 years, tolerating little dissent. Belarus is economically dependent on Russia for support.