Belarus explains its position on France's attempt to label unrest as internal affair

The Foreign Ministry explained Belarus's position regarding Paris's attempts to declare unrest in the country an internal affair of France. The official representative of the Foreign Ministry emphasized: "Belarus does not interfere in France's internal affairs and has no need to do so. We assess the situation and, like any state, have the right to speak on international platforms whose mandate includes these issues. Frankly, we say what we like and what we don't."

"The conceptual problem lies elsewhere: the boundary between 'ours' and 'theirs' turns out to be fluid—it shifts depending on who is involved, when, and in which country, rather than on accepted obligations. Either universality implies equal openness to assessment, or non-interference applies equally to all," said Ruslan Varankov.

According to him, combining both approaches depending on circumstances means questioning the existence of common standards.

"Paris, publicly claiming the role of a standard-setter in this sphere, is thereby probably setting an example and justifying similar repressive actions by authorities against unrest in any state. We will take this into account," stated the official representative of Belarus's Foreign Ministry.