Catherine Ashton: There is no place for political prisoners in the heart of Europe

The presence of the Foreign Minister of Belarus at a meeting in Brussels gave the opportunity to "one more time state loudly about the concern" about  the situation in the country.

This was stated by the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton at a press conference after a meeting of foreign ministers of the EU and Eastern Partnership on July 23 in Brussels, reports BelaPAN.

Once again, Ashton emphasized that the EU is concerned about the lack of respect for human rights, rule of law, democracy, and independent media in Belarus.

"One more time we declared the need for immediate release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners, the cease of all repressions in the country, and free and fair parliamentary elections in September - said Ashton. - Our message to Belarus was very clear and precise: there is no place for political prisoners in the heart of Europe".

At the same time, noted the head of European diplomacy, the EU maintains a policy of critical interaction with Belarus. "The Eastern Partnership is an important platform for Belarus to European values. We are ready to expand our cooperation as soon as the political situation in Belarus will change", - she said.