Riccardo Migliori (left) and Matteo Mecacci (right) meet with opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich (center) in Minsk.MINSK, 12 September 2012 (Русский) – Matteo Mecacci (Italy), special co-ordinator to lead the OSCE short term election observation mission in Belarus, today concluded a pre-election visit to the country.

"This election observation mission is the first political-level OSCE visit since the closure of the OSCE mission in Belarus in 2010. We appreciate the invitation to be in Belarus to observe the pre-election process and look forward to returning next week. We see this observation mission as an opportunity to have a meaningful dialogue with Belarusian authorities based on OSCE commitments which they have voluntary signed on to," Mecacci said.

OSCE PA President Riccardo Migliori also participated in the visit. The three-day visit included meetings with the leaders of Belarusian parliament, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the head of the Central Election Commission, as well as registered and non-registered candidates, opposition leaders boycotting the election, political movements and civil society, independent media and several relatives of opposition figures who are in prison.

"In fact, we regret that we were not able to meet with those political figures who are in prison, and I hope they know that we are thinking of them and their struggle as we observe events in this country," said Mecacci, who chairs the Parliamentary Assembly's human rights committee.

In numerous statements and a resolution passed at its Annual Session in July, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has called on Belarusian authorities to release and exonerate all political prisoners.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled for 23 September in Belarus, at which point more than 300 observers from the OSCE, including more than 80 from the Parliamentary Assembly, will be in the country.

The mission reserves its full observation statement until after election day, but Mecacci called on authorities to respect their OSCE commitments pertaining to fair, democratic elections.

"For these elections to meet OSCE commitments, citizens need to have free access to information, freedom to organize and participate in the political process, and in the end free to choose candidates among many options," Mecacci said. "Our mandate is to observe that Belarusian authorities respect citizens' political rights and we will do so scrupulously."

President Migliori said the government's open door to meet with the OSCE observers was a welcome sign. "We appreciate the courtesy shown to us by the Belarusian authorities and hope that officials extend the same welcome to all international observers who are traveling to Minsk in the coming days for this important election," Migliori said.