Foreign Minister Makei: We want Belarus ambassador to arrive in Washington ASAP

"We are interested in [Belarusian] Ambassador arriving in D.C. and getting to work as soon as possible," Belarus' Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makei said on Tuesday.

His statement came while hosting a ceremony at a high-school in Minsk to open the virtual museum "1945 Elbe Day" to mark 75 years since the Soviet and US troops met in Germany. The US Charge d'Affaires Jenifer H. Moore attended the reception, reports Belarusian Foreign Ministry's press office.

Mr. Makei says the domestic procedures in the US will be complete soon to approve the candidature of Belarus' envoy in Washington. However, he has not revealed the name of the ambassador yet.

The ambassadors are expected to return to the capitals for the first time since the 2008 row.

Julie Fisher, Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of European and Eurasian affairs, was approved to become the US ambassador in Minsk.

The two countries have not exchanged ambassadors in the past 12 years since they were recalled in the spring of 2008. That was the time when the US government introduced sanctions against the Belarusian petrochemical monopoly Belneftekhim in response to the human rights violations in Belarus. Back then, Minsk recalled its ambassador and proposed that US Ambassador Karen Stewart left the country. The US Embassy staff was significantly reduced, and the diplomatic mission was reduced to Charge d'Affaires.

The thaw in relations began six years ago. In February 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Belarus with an official visit.

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