OSCE chief visits Belarus in effort to improve Western ties

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 14:47 · Archive

The secretary-general of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe visited Belarus on Tuesday for the first time in seven years.

The secretary-general of the Vienna-based Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Feridun Sinirlioglu, visited Belarus on Tuesday to attend an international security conference and meet with President Alexander Lukashenko. The visit marked the first trip to Belarus by the OSCE's chief since 2019, as Lukashenko seeks to normalise ties with the West.

Lukashenko said he 'highly appreciates' Sinirlioglu's visit. Speaking at the start of their meeting, Sinirlioglu noted Belarus' role in helping organise exchanges of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine. However, Lukashenko criticised the OSCE for what he described as its purported pro-Western stance and unfair criticism of elections in Belarus and Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also attended the conference, alongside diplomats from ex-Soviet nations, China and other countries.

Belarusian opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned that 'high-level visits and meetings with Lukashenko — if they don't lead to concrete changes — only strengthen his regime and foster a sense of impunity'. She described the meeting as 'a significant and entirely undeserved political reward' for Lukashenko, who has governed Belarus for more than three decades and faced repeated Western sanctions for human rights crackdowns and allowing Russia to use Belarusian territory in its invasion of Ukraine.

How it is being reported

• Belarus hosts trans-Atlantic security group's chief, part of efforts to improve ties with the WestThe chief of a top trans-Atlantic security grouping has visited Belarus for the first time in years.Clickorlando · 3 Nov, 14:13
• Belarus hosts trans-Atlantic security group's chief, part of efforts to improve ties with the WestThe chief of a top trans-Atlantic security grouping has visited Belarus for the first time in years.News4Jax · 3 Nov, 14:13

In this story: Alexander Lukashenko · Feridun Sinirlioglu · Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya · Sergey Lavrov · Belarus · Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe · Russia · Ukraine

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