Special Report: Worldwide reactions on election result in Belarus

    PRAGUE, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday renewed Moscow's accusations that the European Union (EU) was trying to isolate Belarus since the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko last month.

    "We are convinced that if the EU has questions concerning the activities of a country's government, these questions should be addressed in a dialogue, and not through attempts to isolate the country," Lavrov told a news conference in the Slovak capital Bratislava.

    However, his Slovak counterpart Eduard Kukan expressed full support to the EU sanctions against Belarus, including a visa ban on six key Belarus leaders.

    EU foreign ministers due to meet on April 10 are expected to keep up pressure on Belarus.

    The March 19 election in Belarus, which saw Lukashenko reelected for a third term with 83 percent of the vote, was branded by the EU and the United States as being rigged.

    On the contrary, Russia said the presidential election in Belarus had been fair and was legitimate.

    "The election has highlighted high civic activity among the population, the Belarusian people's interest in stability and continuation of the socially-oriented policy," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

    "There is every reason to believe that the election has been held in conformity with universally-recognized standards, and its legitimacy is beyond any doubt," said the statement. Enditem