Belarusian Ambassador’s Ascendance :: Charter'97 :: News

On Friday the ex-Minister of foreign affairs of Belarus Mikhail Khvostov received news that he may fly to Washington, where he will work as Belarus’ ambassador in USA. It took the new appointee more than a month to get entry visa to USA. Apparently, he will show up in the States in early May.

What kind of reception can the new Belarusian ambassador receive overseas? Who and when will get from Khvostov’s hands his credentials, signed by a man, blacklisted among world’s top ten dictators? A man, who publicly declared his genuine respect for Saddam Hussein. Deputy Secretary of State Steven Pifer didn’t answer these questions during the press-conference. Interestingly, will West recall “warm welcome”, which the American ambassador Michael Kozak received after his coming to Minsk? By the way, he submitted his credentials to Lukashenko in the company of the Iraqi ambassador, which sounds really abusive.

For now Khvostov stays in Minsk, while Washington keeps working on the first Bill on Belarus in the US history. Previously they only used to issue congressional resolutions and some ineffective laws.

What mission will the new Belarusian ambassador pursue in the States? In course of the past two years America reiterated the necessity to carry out a step-by-step strategy of normalizing relations with Belarus. If one analyzes the situation development over the past few years, he will arrive to a conclusion that the scheme of mutual steps of the US and Belarus’ government included as integral component measures, to which Lukashenko could never yield. Among these crucial issues were disappearances of prominent opposition members, suppression of peaceful actions of protest, annihilation of free media and any signs of the civil society.

There are good reasons to assume that upon his arrival in Washington ambassador Khvostov will have to wait for a while before he chances to rendezvous with any representative of the US executive. By the way, everything may end in Khvostov’s handing in copies of his original credentials in the Department of State. In Washington an ambassador is considered appointed already after this procedure. And then it may turn out to be the case when the form will define the content.