Today, the EU and EU Member States Ambassadors had the opportunity to discuss the situation in Belarus in a direct dialogue with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei. The European Union has followed the developments in Belarus in the months running up to the elections and after that very closely. The Union called on several occasions on the Belarusian authorities to provide adequate solutions by ceasing violence and engaging in a genuine and inclusive national dialogue. It is against this background that the heads of the European Union’s diplomatic missions in Minsk had asked for a meeting with Vladimir Makei, which he kindly accepted. The EU diplomats underlined that only a peaceful and democratic process, underpinned by independent and free media and a strong civil society, can provide sustainable solutions. The Ambassadors expressed their admiration for the courage with which Belarusian citizens have taken to the streets to protest against election fraud and to defend their right to freedom and democratic representation. Belarusians are asking for an open dialogue with their own authorities about the future of their country.  In this context, the European diplomats emphasised that prosecution of Coordination Council members on grounds presented by the authorities is unacceptable. In today’s meeting, the EU diplomats recalled their earlier requests to be granted access to detention facilities and a number of Belarusian citizens whom the local EU Ambassadors consider to have been arrested on purely political grounds.