Small hostages of Lukashenka’s regime: children not allowed for recreation abroad

Foreign embassies confirm information about suspending programs for children’s recreation abroad. Children a re not allowed to go to the United States, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Ireland.

It should be reminded that The Irish Times was the first to report about a ban for children’s trips abroad. Official representatives of Belarus don’t confirm this information, but say it is necessary to sign bilateral agreements with the countries, inviting Belarusian children for recreation.

As BelaPAN has learnt from press officer of the British Embassy in Belarus Kasia Biaspalava, the diplomatic mission is informed about suspension of permission for children, suffered from Chernobyl disaster consequences, to come to the United Kingdom for recreation. The press officer emphasised that the embassy hadn’t received any official information about this, and a draft agreement on conditions of children’s recreation.

“We are concerned about the current situation. The British Ambassador raised this question at meetings with responsible ministries,” K. Biaspalava said. “We understand that other countries have faced the same situation, and they worry, too.”

The Embassy of France and Honourable Consulate of the Netherlands said they had heard about suspension of the programmes, but hadn’t been informed about it officially and hadn’t received a draft agreement. The French Embassy has noted that they are “keeping a close eye on the events”.

Issues on recreation of Belarusian children were discussed during a meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland Micheál Martin and Charge d'Affaires a.i. of Belarus Valer Kudrakou in Dublin on September 11.

Commenting on the situation, Alyaksandr Kalyada, director of the department for humanitarian activity of the general affaires department of president, confirmed that in view of the fact that 16-year-old Tatsyana Kazyra hadn’t returned home, programmes for children’s recreation in the US had been suspended temporally. “To avoid similar situations in future, the department for humanitarian activity, being a state body, is interested in signing of the above mentioned agreement with responsible bodies of all hosting countries. Signing of the agreement will promote further strengthening of cooperation with the Republic of Belarus in humanitarian sector, including children’s recreation,” an official l reply of the head of the department says.