It came three days after Belarus recalled its ambassadors to Lithuania and Poland in response to European Union (EU) sanctions against Belarusian officials accused of electoral fraud and human rights abuses.
Lithuania and Poland have angered Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in support of protests following the August 9 presidential election, which called for Lukashenko’s resignation.
Vilnius has earned particular anger by taking refuge in Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovska, who claims to have won the presidential election by defeating Lukashenko.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Lin Linkevich said that Lithuania, despite the recall of the ambassador, wants to maintain diplomatic relations with neighboring Belarus at the level of ambassadors.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said the two countries had taken a joint decision to recall the ambassadors.
“I would like to thank all the EU’s partners for their clear solidarity with Poland and Lithuania,” Rau wrote on Twitter. “Support for the Belarusians and their efforts to democratize the country is a priority for us.”
Belarus has called on Lithuania and Poland to reduce the number of diplomats stationed in the country.
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