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NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu quoted Stoltenberg on Twitter.
“The decision to reduce the number of allied diplomats in Minsk is unjustified. The allies are mutually supportive and we urge Minsk to reconsider this decision,” Stoltenberg said.
He added that all NATO countries support a sovereign and independent Belarus.
Last week, in response to European Union sanctions against Belarusian officials linked to electoral fraud and violence against protesters, Minsk called on Lithuania and Poland to reduce the number of their diplomatic staff in Belarus.
Lithuania and Poland called Ambassador MInske for consultations on Monday, as did Latvia, Estonia and Germany.
The Belarusian regime is outraged by the support expressed by Lithuania and Poland for the anti-government protests and by the fact that Lithuania accepted Sviatlan Cihanouska, a former opposition candidate in the presidential elections.
Belarus has been waging massive protests for almost two months over the August 9 presidential election, which was announced by Aliaksandr Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994. The opposition and Western countries consider these elections rigged.
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