Belarus closes embassy in Sweden as diplomatic the quagmire between the two countries intensify

Wednesday, 08 August 2012
The diplomatic crisis between Sweden and Belarus has intensified and the result is the closure of the Belrusian Embassy in Stockholm.

The Swedish foreign ministry has confirmed according to Swedish television  with the foreign minister, Carl Bildt writting on Twitter that President Lukashenko's fear of human rights has reached new heights.

But reports hold that Foreign Minister Carl Bildt would not comment on the information.
On the ground however, the diplomatic conflict between Belarus and Sweden could be described as escalating.

Last week Swedish Ambassador in  Minsk was expelled. Since then there have been anecdotal evidence that Sweden will also be asked to close its embassy in the country. On Friday, Carl Bildt also said to announce that the new Belarusian ambassador was no longer welcome in Sweden.
He wrote that "the Lukashenko regime's expulsion of Sweden's Ambassador to Belarus is a serious breach of the norms for relations between states.
The accusations directed at the Ambassador by the regime are without foundation. That Sweden is broadly committed to democracy and human rights in Belarus is no secret, and Ambassador Eriksson has represented this Swedish policy in a creditable and important way."

The minster continued that Sweden has informed other EU countries about the matter.

According to Swedish television, the Belarusian Embassy in Stockholm will be closed, according to a source at the Swedish Foreign ministry, though the press office of the ministry would not confirm details when we scancomark.se contacted the office. We have forwarded this article to them but still wait for confirmation.

Other Swedish media sources however, reports that Kent Öberg of the press office of the external ministry said that  they cannot confirm the above story and that reported can check with them later.

The organisation, Freedom House, which supports democratic change, monitors freedom, and advocates for democracy and human rights around the world has reacted
angrily about the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador and in a write up it say "Freedom House finds unacceptable the expulsion of the Swedish Ambassador to Belarus on August 3. Ambassador Stefan Ericsson may have been expelled in what many regard as Lukashenka’s retaliation for the teddy bear drop incident that took place on July 4. On that day a private airplane piloted by two Swedish citizens crossed the Lithuania-Belarus border unnoticed by radars and flew over Ivents and the suburbs of Minks dropping 879 plush teddy bears carrying messages in support of freedom of speech..." See more here
by Scancomark.se Team