In a joint statement, the three foreign ministers said that Belarus was “an important neighbour of the European Union and an active member of the Eastern Partnership.”
They urged Belarusian authorities “to conduct the upcoming presidential election in a free and fair manner, including ensuring independent monitoring by local observers.”
“We, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of France, Germany and Poland, observe the ongoing developments in Belarus with great concern,” the top diplomats said.
They added: “On the eve of the presidential elections, we firmly stand by the right of Belarusian people to exercise their fundamental freedoms, including electoral rights, and support the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus.”
Poland’s Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz and his French and German counterparts also said they "have taken note of worrying reports of electoral irregularities during early voting."
They called on the Belarusian leadership “to release all prisoners detained on political grounds, refrain from violence or any activity directed against human rights, including civic and political freedoms, and to respect the will of the Belarusian people.”
Poland, France and Germany work together as part of a trilateral cooperation platform known as the Weimar Triangle.
(gs)
Source: IAR, gov.pl