US President Barack Obama extended sanctions against Belarusian officials imposed in 2006 by his predecessor George W. Bush for another year. Most likely, official Minsk was expecting the Washington’s decision to extend the sanctions. The Foreign Ministry discretely responded to this decision and noted the positive trends in bilateral relations between Belarus and the USA in recent years. Official Minsk is quite satisfied with the pace diplomatic contacts are developing with Washington and with the ability to impose cooperation in specific areas. The Belarusian authorities aspire that Belarus-US bilateral relations would gradually normalise and enhance after the presidential campaign in Belarus.
