Written question asked by Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative) on Tuesday, 4 June 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 10 June 2019 (named day). It was answered by Alan Duncan (Conservative) on Monday, 10 June 2019 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Belarus: Diplomatic Relations

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent diplomatic activity there has been with Belarus.

Answer: The UK has steadily increased its engagement with Belarus since the release of political prisoners in August 2015 and consequent lifting of the majority of EU Restrictive Measures in February 2016. I met President Lukashenka and Foreign Minister Makei in October 2017 in Minsk and FM Makei again in London in March 2018. I last met the Belarusian Ambassador on 30 April. Our officials maintain regular discussions with their Belarusian counterparts, via our Embassy in Minsk, and through multilateral fora, such as the EU, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and UN.

Secondary information