March 3, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka has appointed Ihar Fisienka as ambassador to Slovakia. Belarus is expected to open a diplomatic mission in Bratislava before September.
Fisienka had served as ambassador to France, Monaco and Portugal, but was recalled in November 2021 after the French ambassador, Nicolas de Lacoste, refused to present his credentials to Łukašenka.
The Belarusian leader today described Slovakia as a friendly country. “It has a say. We therefore must treat them in a humane way,” his press office quoted him as saying.
Slovakia actually remains on the Belarusian government’s list of unfriendly countries, although its relations with Belarusian improved under Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Łukašenka noted that he had a good relationship with Fico. He described him as “a reasonable man very concerned about his country. He has not forgotten what his roots are.”
Belarus closed its embassy in Bratislava in the fall of 2023. The last Belarusian ambassador to Slovakia was Ihar Laščenia, who resigned in protest against the government’s policy in August 2020. The diplomat, a former aide to Alaksandar Łukašenka, supported peaceful protesters after the disputed presidential election.
In September 3 2025, Fico asked Łukašenka to set a date for his visit to Minsk, as the two met in Beijing ahead of a massive military parade. The two pro-Russian politicians also had a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous day.
The Belarusian leader also appointed Dźmitryj Krasoŭski, Belarus’ ambassador to Kenya, to represent Belarus in Tanzania, and Juryj Nikołajčyk as ambassador to Zimbabwe, which he described as the gate of Africa. Łukašenka pointed out that Nokołajčyk’s predecessor, Ihar Maršalaŭ, was not coping with his duties.
