The following statement has been issued by a spokesperson for the Federal Foreign Office:

“On Foreign Minister Westerwelle’s orders, Belarusian Ambassador Andrei Giro was summoned to the Federal Foreign Office this morning.

Ms Antje Leendertse, the Foreign Office Director for Eastern Europe, made it clear to him that the German Government saw no justification for rejecting visa applications from election observers – including a Member of the German Bundestag – and journalists in connection with the upcoming parliamentary elections in Belarus.

She said that limiting freedom of the press, preventing people from entering the country and obstructing civil society were an ominous sign for these elections even before they had begun and constituted yet another setback for the development of Belarusian society.”