Belarusian MFA: Our position towards Abkhazia and South Ossetia hasn’t changed

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus is perplexed with a reaction of the media on comments on visiting Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

This answer was given by head of the main consular department of the MFA Andrei Hiro to the question of mass media representatives in connection with trips of Belarusians citizens to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“Firstly, I’d like to say that I am rather perplexed with too much attention, some mass media gave to yesterday’s comments of a representative of the MFA consular service on trips of Belarusian citizens to Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Two Belarusian citizens have been arrested in Georgia recently in relation with visiting Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Should we close eyes on this?” Andrei Giro said.

He stressed that security of the Belarusian citizens is the prior value for the MFA. “So, we’ll d our best in order such incidents not to happen again in any part of the world. There’s no politics here,” he added.

According to Andrei Hiro, this situation is nothing else than vivid examples of negative role of the mass media that are trying to mistake the wish for the reality. “As far as I know, the Belarusian position towards Abkhazia and South Ossetia hasn’t changed,” the foreign ministry representative said.

We remind that only Russia has recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia so far. The president of Nicaragua brought the point of recognition for discussion, but the parliament denied this proposal. The rest countries consider Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be parts of Georgia.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka said in September last year that Belarus would recognize independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. President of unrecognized South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity told later the Belarusian ruler has promised him to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But the political situation changed, and Lukashenka declared he wouldn’t hurry to recognize independence.

In May, president of Abkhazia Sergei Bagapsh accept head of Lukashenka’s Administration Uladzimir Makei and first deputy head of presidential affairs department Mikalai Korbut. The Administration of Lukashenka and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus refused to say the aim of the visit of the Belarusian officials to the unrecognized republic.

Speaker of the State Duma of Russia Boris Gryzlov said on May 18 that the Belarusian authorities promised to recognize independence of the Georgian territories in April.

Lukashenka told in an interview to the Russian mass media that Russia demanded him to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia in exchange for loans. However, a lot of independent experts regard this statement as flirting with the European Union to get money from it.