Belarus recalls its ambassador to the UK in response to London sanctions

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Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatoli Glaz reported Friday that the country has decided to reduce its diplomatic presence in the United Kingdom and has withdrawn its ambassador, Maksim Yermalovich, in London.

Thus, the acting chargé d’affaires of the Belarusian Embassy on British soil will take over the ambassador’s duties after the UK authorities imposed a package of sanctions against Minsk for its involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as reported by BelTA news agency.

Glaz has noted that the measure has been taken following the imposition of restrictive measures against Belarusian employees, Belarusian companies and Belarusian media, among others. He also condemned the withdrawal of visas for Belarusian deputies ahead of the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

As he explained, the “restrictive and illegal measures” put in place by the British government “do not currently allow for the development of a comprehensive dialogue.” However, he confirmed that the withdrawal of the ambassador does not imply the “closure of all channels of communication with London”.