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President Lukashenko faces the prospect of a nationwide strike that could begin on October 26 following an ultimatum from opposition leaders.
President Lukashenko has so far ignored the previous ultimatum and has not indicated that he will resign. Protests against the 66-year-old leader erupted after he was re-elected in the August 9 elections, described by the opposition as a trap.
A spokesman for the State Department confirmed the call, adding: “Secretary of State Pompeo asked Belarus to immediately release US citizen Vitali Shkliarov, who was unjustly arrested.” Pompeo also reaffirmed America’s support for the Belarusian people’s aspirations for democracy.
On the same day, news agency Interfax He stated: “Russia does not interfere in the internal affairs of Belarus. Belarus and Russia are ready to jointly respond to existing foreign threats.”
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Photo: Reuters
Meanwhile, clashes between Azerbaijani forces and Armenian ethnic minorities over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh area still erupted on October 24, a day after the conflict mediation negotiations took place. in Washington, DC.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said on October 23 that clashes continued in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a territory belonging to Azerbaijan but controlled by the ethnic Armenian minority. On October 23 and 24, military operations were still taking place in Aghdere, Khojavend, Fizuli, Hadrut and Gubadli, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry added.
The Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Service said on October 24 that the number of Armenian soldiers killed since the last clash broke out on September 27 increased by 36 people, to a total of 963.
The latest bombing has forced residents of Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, to seek refuge. Nagorno-Karabakh officials confirmed that other cities in the disputed territory were also targeted by bombing from Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan and Armenia accuse each other of bombing civilians. Photo: AP
Azeri officials accused Armenia of bombing Terter and other parts of the Gubadli region on October 24 (local time), killing a teenager.
Earlier on October 23, Foreign Minister Pompeo met privately with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in his latest effort to end the conflict, after two Moscow-promoted ceasefire orders collapsed. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, since it broke out on September 27, the latest clash has killed 5,000 people.
President Ilham Aliyev assured Le Figaro newspaper that Azerbaijan was ready to negotiate, but blamed Armenia’s actions for the continuing hostility. Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he does not see any possible diplomatic solutions at this time.
The lengthy ceasefire agreement in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh area seems implausible. Photo: AP
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