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Belarusian authorities believe that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decree on the participation of Belarusian IT specialists undermines confidence in bilateral relations. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects the accusations of hostile actions.
Ukraine is a democratic state committed to European values, among which the protection of human rights and freedoms is of fundamental importance. About this October 15 set Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Yekaterina Zelenko comments on Belarus’ note on attracting Belarusian IT specialists to Ukraine, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
“Ukraine rejects accusations of hostile actions by Minsk. Our state is traditionally open and friendly to the citizens of Belarus. Even before the crisis in Belarus, movement between our countries was as free as possible and interpersonal and business contacts were becoming strengthening, “said the speaker.
According to Zelenko, people who “share these values and want to realize themselves in our state will always be welcome in Ukraine.”
On October 2, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Decree No. 420/2020 on measures to attract entrepreneurs, highly qualified specialists – citizens of Belarus.
According to the decree, the Cabinet of Ministers must extend the period of temporary stay of Belarusian citizens on the territory of Ukraine to 180 days a year. This applies to entrepreneurs, highly qualified specialists in the field of information technology and innovation, whose immigration benefits Ukraine and their families.
Shortly after the signing of the decree, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry delivered a note to the Ukrainian Ambassador to Belarus, Igor Kizim. Minsk believes that Zelensky’s decree undermines confidence in bilateral relations and contravenes the provisions of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbor and Cooperation between Belarus and Ukraine.
Mass protests have continued in Belarus since August 9 due to the falsification of voting results in the presidential elections, in which, according to official data, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won. Also, alternative exit polls showed a landslide victory the opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
The Belarusian security forces violently dispersed the protesters. They used stun grenades, rubber bullets, and water cannons. During the protests, more than 13,000 protesters were detained and hundreds were injured and injured. According to official figures, four protesters died.
The Belarusian information technology company PandaDoc also came under repression from the authorities. Its founders offered financial assistance to the Belarusian security forces if they left the authorities. As a result, four employees of the IT company were accused of fraud and the company itself announced the closure of the project to help the security forces and decided to move the office to Ukraine.
Another 12 Belarusian companies working in the information technology and other sectors, including “green” energy, have decided to relocate to Latvia.
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