Republic
15.09.2006
On September 14, charge d’affaires ad interim of the US in Belarus Jonathan Moor was summoned to the foreign ministry of Belarus where he was given a note of protest about the US failing to meet its obligations to provide due security for the Belarusian citizens who at present stay in the US in line with various US governmental programs. At the same time, in Washington D.C., Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to the US Mikhail Khvostov handed over the same note to the US Department of State.
As the press-service of the Belarusian foreign ministry told BelTA, in the note the Belarusian side stages strong protest against the inactivity of the US authorities in providing due security for the Belarusian citizens. The recent several months have witnessed three tragic incidents involving Belarusian citizens who were in the US in line with the program ‘Work and Travel in Summer’ which is supervised by the US Department of State.
A series of tragic incidents involving Belarusian citizens shows that the relevant US authorities can not or do not want to provide security for the citizens of Belarus who are presently in the US. Given this situation, the Belarusian side deems the conditions of stay of Belarusian students in the framework of the afore-mentioned program as extreme and absolutely unacceptable.
If the US authorities are not able to provide due security for foreign citizens, they should openly notify the international community of that, the note says.
Because of considerable danger to life and health of Belarusian citizens in the US, they will be advised against participating in the program ‘Work and Travel in Summer’ which is supervised by the US Department of State.
“The Belarusian side strongly condemns the inactivity of the relevant agencies of the US in providing security for the Belarusian citizens and calls for taking all necessary measures to identify the guilty and punish them as quickly as possible,’ the note says.
