Belarus recalls ambassadors from Poland and Lithuania

Belarus has recalled its ambassadors from Poland and Lithuania and asked both countries to sharply reduce the number of diplomats stationed in their embassies in Minsk, the Belta news agency cited the foreign ministry as saying in a statement on Friday.

It asked them respectively to cut their contingents to 18 from 50 and to 14 from 25. Separately, the government announced it had cancelled the existing accreditations of all foreign journalists, and that they must reapply for accreditation.