The call came after the premiers of Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, which together form a regional cooperation platform called the Visegrad Group, met in the eastern Polish city of Lublin on Friday.
"We discussed Belarus. We all believe that free elections should be held so that the Belarusian people can decide on their future for themselves. We condemn the torture and the brutal treatment of protesters," said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko has cracked down on protests in Belarus demanding his resignation following an August 9 presidential election which the opposition says was rigged.
Morawiecki said on Friday that the Visegrad Group wants to propose visa-free travel for Belarusian citizens.
At an upcoming EU summit, the Visegrad Group aims to put forward a plan to help the Belarus economy, state broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Poland’s Morawiecki promised last month that his country would seek to support Belarus by opening its borders and labour market while providing financial support to civil society after a violent crackdown on post-election protests in its eastern neighbour.
(pk)
Source: IAR