To mark the first anniversary of the brutally quashed protests against undemocratic presidential elections in Belarus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses solidarity with the Belarusian people. We especially unite with the arrested Belarusians who retain their dignity and remain internally free despite the repressions.
 
We regret that the authorities in Minsk continue the persecutions. Such a policy deepens the isolation of Belarus on the international arena and deprives the country's society of chances to build a modern and successful state in the heart of Europe.
 
Europe hears the voice of those who fight for fundamental human rights in Belarus and stands ready to engage even stronger in defending the emerging civil society. Europe’s greater assistance for Belarus is possible under the familiar conditions, involving the release of all political prisoners, allowing those persecuted to regain full civil rights and starting a dialogue between the authorities and society. This is a chance that no-one has the right to deprive its own nation of in the 21st century's Europe.