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Extraordinary FM Meeting On Friday To Discuss Situation In Belarus

EU

Announced by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell that the EU will convene an extraordinary meeting of member state foreign ministers on Friday 14 August to discuss the ongoing situation in Belarus.

  • This comes after successive nights of mass protest and violent police crackdowns in the Belarusian capital Minsk, after President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide win in Sunday's presidential election. The opposition have accused Lukashenko of vote rigging and protesters are demanding democratic reforms.
  • The EU has criticised the election as "neither free nor fair".
  • Lukashenko's relations with the Putin gov't in neighbouring Russia are strained, but he is viewed in Moscow as a stable and largely pro-Russian presence between Russia and Europe.
  • The protests remain a potential flashpoint that could escalate into a wider movement drawing in regional state actors on opposite sides.
  • The FM meeting will also discuss EU-Turkey relations regarding ongoing tensions in the Eastern Med, and the situation in Lebanon following last weeks huge explosion and the subsequent protests and resignation of the government.

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