Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Mrs. Megi Fino attended the Security Council meeting in the Arria-Formula for the “Situation in Belarus”. The meeting, organized with the initiative of Estonia, was co-sponsored by 32 UN member states, including Albania.

In her speech, Deputy Minister Fino expressed concern about the continuing deterioration of the situation of fundamental human rights and freedoms in Belarus, since the manipulation of the results of last year’s presidential election.

It also focused on addressing the unjust punishments of opposition voices in the country, particularly the representatives of free speech, who continue to be persecuted, imprisoned, convicted and violated by the regime in Minsk.

Concern was also expressed about the recent decision of the Parliament in Belarus to suspend the readmission agreement of migrants with the EU, focusing on the inadmissibility of instrumentalization of migrants and refugees by the Belarusian authorities.

Deputy Minister Fino also mentioned the commitment of Albania as chair of the OSCE for 2020 in addressing the crisis of democracy in Belarus, and committed as a member of the Security Council for 2022-2023 to monitor the human rights situation in country and the impact it has on the stability and security of the region and Europe.