EU may pull all envoys from Belarus after Swedish ambassador expulsionAugust 10, 2012 - 20:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - In response to Belarus’s expulsion of Swedish Ambassador Stefan Eriksson, the EU’s Political and Security Committee (PCS) may coordinate a withdrawal of all EU ambassadors from Belarus, a diplomatic source told RIA Novosti, the news agency reported. A diplomatic row erupted last week when Belarus refused to renew Eriksson’s accreditation over a July 4 incident, in which a Swedish light plane dropped hundreds of plush teddy bears bearing pro-democracy slogans over Belarus. On Wednesday, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said it would withdraw its entire embassy staff from Stockholm and ordered the Swedish government to pull its diplomats out of Minsk by August 30. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko sacked a number of top officials over the teddy bear stunt. Commenting on Minsk’s move, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt wrote on his Twitter account that Eriksson had been expelled from Belarus “for being too supportive of human rights.” In power since 1994, the Belarusian strongman has been accused by western governments of violently cracking down on dissent. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” Ex-President: Only removal of “defeatist” rulers can save Armenia Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Pashinyan: We must stop searching for homeland, we have found that homeland Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. |