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USA will continue supporting pro-democracy programs in Belarus, diplomat says

 

The government of the United States will continue supporting programs in Belarus that are aimed to create an open environment for the free expression of political views, develop civil society and ensure media freedom and business creativity, US Charge d'Affaires Michael Scanlan said at a conference in Vilnius on May 25.

The conference was timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Independent Institute for Social, Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS), which is led by prominent scholar Aleh Manayew.

Referring to his own experience, the diplomat said that he was aware that Belarusians had different political views but tended to share them only with their families in their homes. There are still obstacles to contacts with a wider audience and the expression of different opinions, he stressed. The work of Dr. Manayew and his colleagues helps fill these gaps, while growing access to the Internet will only speed up this process, Mr. Scanlan said.

The United States advocates freedom of contacts for all people and calls on other countries to follow suit, the diplomat said. In particular, he added, people must be free to receive information, exchange ideas, have unrestricted access to information and have an opportunity to make informed decisions. He emphasized the importance of independent polls, which he said are vital in a country where there are no free and fair elections and which offer the only source of reliable information about public sentiments. // BelaPAN