Statement by the Slovak MFA

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic Miroslav Lajčák welcomes the release of two Belarusian political prisoners.

Miroslav Lajčák welcomes the release of two Belarusian political prisoners, Opposition leader and the former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov and his proxy, Opposition activist Dmitry Bondarenko from prison. "Slovakia and the European Union had been waiting for this step for a long time. We hope that the process will continue and all political prisoners will soon be released and rehabilitated. It is important that Belarus fulfils this necessary prerequisite to renew the dialogue with the European Union. Belarusian citizens as well as the international community wish to see that the principles of democracy, human rights and fundamental citizens′ freedoms, as well as rule of law are kept in Belarus. We will continue to closely follow the next developments in Belarus and if the stated criteria are fulfilled, we will be ready to support positive development in the cooperation between the European Union and Minsk," stated Lajčák.