Belarus expels French ambassador: Embassy

France's ambassador to Belarus has left the country after the authorities in Minsk demanded he leave by Oct. 18, the embassy said.

The spokeswoman who made the announcement did not say why the Belarusian authorities told him to leave.

But according to reports in the Belarusian media, the ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste was expelled because he never met President Alexander Lukashenko to give him copies of his credentials.

Instead he gave them to Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, according to the French embassy. Lukashenko, according to reports in the Belarus media, took that as a snub.

"The Belarusian foreign ministry demanded that the ambassador leave before October 18," the embassy spokeswoman told AFP.
"Ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste left Belarus today," she added.
"He said goodbye to the staff of the embassy and recorded a video message to the Belarusian people, which will appear tomorrow morning on the embassy's website."
France, like other EU countries, has not recognized Lukashenko claim to a sixth presidential term in disputed elections in August last year.

The European Union and the United States have imposed waves of sanctions on the Belarusian strongman's regime over a post-vote crackdown on dissent in Belarus after the country erupted in historic protests against his rule.

But the 67-year-old leader, who has accused Western governments of having instigated the protests in the hope of fomenting a revolution, has so far withstood the penalties with the backing of ally and creditor Moscow.

Minsk has cut ties with other Western envoys in recent months.

In March, it expelled the entire staff of Latvia's embassy, including the ambassador, after Latvian authorities used a...