The U.S. special envoy for Belarus, Julie Fisher, says Washington remains "committed" to working with Belarus wherever possible, even though relations have been badly strained amid a crackdown by the regime of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashena against dissent since a disputed election in August 2020.
The U.S. envoy, who was approved by the Senate in 2020 as the first U.S. ambassador to Belarus since 2008, was unable to take up her post in Minsk because the Belarusian government denied her a visa in response to the harsh economic sanctions Washington imposed on Lukashenka and other members of his regime because of the election and subsequent crackdown on dissent.
In an interview with RFE/RL's Belarus Service published on June 9, Fisher, whose appointment ends this month, praised Belarusians for what she called their "resilience as they rejected...that fraudulent election."
"In the time since then, the United States has been committed and remains absolutely committed to ensuring a closer relationship between the United States of America and the people of Belarus," Fisher said.
Fisher lauded Belarusians for their creativity in the face of such a harsh crackdown and the ways in which "they have sought again to have their voices heard related to the war [launched by Russia against Ukraine]."
"The people of Belarus [should] fundamentally understand what opportunity could lie in the future when [the situation changes], what opportunity lies in the future when Belarus has good relations with its neighbors, what opportunity can exist when people don't face torture, repression, when NGOs can work freely, when journalists can report on what's happening inside Belarus," she said.
"There is so much opportunity in the future and I really look forward to seeing that day and I look forward to visiting a free Belarus," Fisher added.
Lukashenka allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory to stage its war against Ukraine.