Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus continues to work to minimize risks of war, - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ukrainian embassy in the Republic of Belarus continues to operate for a number of reasons, including to "minimize the risks" of Minsk's further involvement in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
This was reported by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in response to a request from LIGA.net, according to Censor.NET.
The embassy is working to prevent Belarus from being drawn into the war
"The activities of the Embassy of Ukraine in Belarus are primarily aimed at minimizing the risks of Belarus' further involvement on Russia's side in armed aggression against our state, providing consular assistance and facilitating the return to Ukraine of Ukrainian children who have been illegally taken out of the country, providing consular protection and assistance to Ukrainian citizens who are on the territory of the Russian Federation held in its penitentiary institutions," the document says.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry added that Ukraine's military attaché is currently not working in Belarus.
The embassy is conducting explanatory work with the foreign diplomatic corps
The ministry also said that the embassy in Belarus is working with the foreign diplomatic corps on Russia's violations of international humanitarian law, in particular regarding the illegal "passportization" of Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied territories and other illegal actions, as well as Belarus' participation in the forced removal and placement of Ukrainian children on its territory.
At the same time, the embassy is operating "under specific conditions" of rapprochement between Minsk and Moscow, including within the framework of the so-called Union State. Currently, Belarus is developing a joint "political and security space" with Russia in accordance with their intergovernmental agreement, as well as actively pursuing military-technical, trade-economic, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation, among other things, the Foreign Ministry concluded.
There are over 200,000 Ukrainians in Belarus
In addition, the agency informed LIGA.net that, according to unofficial information, there are more than 200,000 Ukrainian citizens in Belarus, but only about 7,000 are registered with the consulate. From the beginning of the year until September 15, $110,000 was transferred to the Ukrainian budget for the consular activities of the embassy in Belarus, the Foreign Ministry noted.
