Bulgarian ambassador will not return in Minsk

Ivailo Ivanov has been appointed as Chargé d'affaires of the Bulgarian Embassy in Belarus.

Ivanov's appointment in Belarus takes place in the context of the overall restoration of the normal functioning of the diplomatic missions of European Union member states in Minsk, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has said in a statement.

The diplomatic exodus of the EU Ambassadors from Minsk in February was the culmination of strained relations following the arrest of Belarusians protesting the results of presidential elections in December and the EU's subsequent imposition of sanctions on Belarus.

On February 29 2012, Bulgaria recalled its ambassador to the Republic of Belarus, Zachary Radukov.