The transformation of the US attitude towards Belarus is increasingly evident

Due to changed geopolitical reality and domestic interests, the United States is gradually revising old attitudes towards the democratization of Belarus and changing the focus from human rights issues onto constructive collaboration with Minsk. Such changes are consistent with the Belarusian leadership’s views on bilateral relations.

The transformation of the US attitude towards Belarus is evidenced, in particular, by the frequency and level of official visits by US representatives to Belarus and declared purposes of such visits.

On August 13^th – 14^th, a delegation of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress headed by Illinois Congressman Michael Quigley was in Minsk. The congressmen held talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Dapkyunas to discuss regional security and the possibility of expanding Belarusian-American trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation.

Interestingly, the US Embassy indicated a demonstration of the US commitment to supporting Belarus’ sovereignty and independence as one of the goals of the visit. This is consistent with the US approach to Eastern Europe, formulated earlier by former Assistant Secretary of State A. Wess Mitchell, who called the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Belarus a bastion protecting from Russian neo-imperialism.