Alyaksandr Lukashenka will meet with a delegation of US congressmen in Minsk on June 30, according to the US embassy in Minsk.
The delegation will pay a one-day visit to Minsk as part of its European tour. It will include, among others, Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Dick Durbin, and Chris Smith, a member of the House of Representatives.
Mr. Cardin chairs the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe at the US Congress also known as the Helsinki Commission. While in Minsk, the US lawmakers also are scheduled to meet with civil society representatives and hold a news conference.
In an interview with BelaPAN earlier this week, the US charge d’affaires, Jonathan Moore, described the delegation as "very important" and said that the lawmakers "are going to have some important meetings and form their impressions." He would not speak in detail about whom the delegation would meet, saying that "at this point no meeting has been refused."
The diplomat described as a "very positive sign" Minsk’s readiness to have "a senior visit from the US Congress," noting that some US lawmakers, including Hilary Clinton, had been denied a Belarusian visa in the past.
"I hope they are able to have serious conversations and form some serious opinions," Mr. Moore said.
