WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States should resume full diplomatic relations with Belarus, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher wrote to US Secretary of State John Kerry in a letter, according to a press release from his office.
"The government in Minsk has in the last two years tried to play a major role in finding a compromise that will end the conflict in Ukraine," Rohrabacher, co-chair of the House of Representatives Sub-Committee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats, wrote in the letter, which was sent on Wednesday.
The US government "should applaud such efforts and recognize [Belarusian] President [Alexander] Lukashenko’s eagerness to work with us to confront some very serious challenges," he continued, according to the release.
"Working together with regional players such as Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, we could deflate tensions in what has become a very volatile region," Rohrabacher wrote in the letter.
The US government recalled its ambassador to Minsk in 2008 after long-simmering differences on various issues, including elections and human rights, the release recalled.
Recently, Belarus has emerged as an international mediator, with its capital Minsk having hosted several rounds of peace talks on Ukraine. In February, a breakthrough ceasefire agreement was signed between Kiev forces and Ukraine's independence supporters in Minsk.
