U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will arrive in Minsk on 1 February, Radio Svoboda reports about it with reference to the U.S. Department of State.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the information.
Mike Pompeo. Photo: the United States Department of State
According to the local media source, Pompeo will visit London on 29-30 January, then Kyiv on 30 January. The next stop is Belarus’ capital, where he will stay only for a few hours, on 1 February.
After Minsk, U.S. Secretary of State is expected at Nur-Sultan on 1-2 February wrapping up his postponed trip to Europe and Central Asia on 2-3 February in Tashkent.
Recall that Pompeo planned to visit Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Cyprus in early January. However, the tour was postponed due to rising tensions in Iraq and the Middle East.
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Pompeo’s visit to Minsk will be the highest-level trip of a top American official to Belarus in two decades. U.S. official was supposed to meet with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei.
The agenda may include the normalization of bilateral relations, the exchange of ambassadors, human rights, economic cooperation and Belarus’ possible inclusion in the U.S. travel ban list (if confirmed and approved).