The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stresses on the need to immediately release Ukrainian citizens detained in Belarus.

On December 29, 2010 Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to Ukraine Valentyn Velychko was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to meet with First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ruslan Demchenko.

The Ukrainian party reiterated its deep disappointment with the fact that the detained citizens of Ukraine still stayed under arrest and were not released. During the meeting R.Demchenko emphasized that such actions on the part of the Belarusian side did not correspond to the spirit of friendly bilateral relations between Ukraine and the Republic of Belarus, stressing on the need to immediately release the citizens of Ukraine, as their further stay under arrest harmed the bilateral relations between the two countries.

In his turn V.Velychko reassured his interlocutor that the position of the Ukrainian party would be immediately brought to the notice of official Minsk.

The Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Belarus keeps the issue of the Ukrainian citizens’ release under special control and is in constant telephone contact with the relatives of the detainees.

The MFA of Ukraine is taking all the necessary actions to release the Ukrainian citizens from custody as soon as possible. We hope that our fellow citizens will celebrate New Year holidays at home.