European Council
The President
Brussels, 17 August 2020
Dear colleagues,
Our foreign ministers discussed developments in Belarus and the Eastern Mediterranean
last Friday. Since then, the situation in Belarus has continued to evolve, and I have
therefore decided to call a Videoconference on Wednesday at noon to address this issue.
What we have witnessed in Belarus is not acceptable. The 9 August elections were
neither free nor fair. The subsequent violence against peaceful protesters was shocking
and has to be condemned. Those responsible must be held to account. The EU has
started work on sanctions.
The people of Belarus have the right to determine their own future. To allow for this,
violence has to stop and a peaceful and inclusive dialogue has to be launched. The
leadership of Belarus must reflect the will of the people. There should be no outside
interference.
Based on these principles, we will discuss how best to respond to the evolving situation
in Belarus.
As for the other main topic discussed by our foreign ministers, the situation in the
Eastern Mediterranean, I propose that we allow time for thorough preparation and come
back to the topic during a special European Council on 24-25 September 2020.
Yours sincerely,
C. MICHEL
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175 - B-1048 Bruxelles/Brussel - Belgique/België
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/european-council/
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