Ukraine calls on the Republic of Belarus to be as tolerant as possible, hold open dialog and reject violence, because it is this approach that will ensure a way out of the difficult crisis situation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
"We call on our neighbors to be as tolerant as possible, and reject street violence. We call for the most open, albeit complex, dialog, because only a broad dialog will allow the citizens of the Republic of Belarus to find a way out of the difficult crisis situation and honestly discuss further steps and formats of public interaction. Only mutual understanding between all parties can preserve the country's independence and ensure its further movement towards freedom and democracy," the Head of State said.
Otherwise, the escalation of violence will grow, and the implications will be very negative, he added.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, now both parties should be interested in such a dialogue – both the government and protesting society.
"Our neighbors Belarusians are going through difficult times now. They are trying to determine the vector of their further development. And this is very difficult. It is already obvious that not everyone in the country agrees with the announced provisional election results. And, as you know, any legitimacy arises exclusively from public trust. Exclusively from trust. Doubt on such a scale is a direct road to violence, conflict, and growing public outcry. Unfortunately, this is what we are seeing now," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Belarus in its actions should adhere to the democratic standards generally recognized in the civilized world as much as possile, try to provide its own people with their rights and freedoms in full, because this is the only way to preserve hope for a way out of the crisis.
"Ukraine and I personally are extremely interested in Belarus being a truly independent and democratic country with a strong economy and stable social relations. Belarus is our closest neighbor, and therefore we are not at all indifferent to what is happening there and what will happen to our friends next," the head of state said.