Poland calls for EU summit on Belarus

WARSAW: Poland on Monday called for an emergency European Union summit on the situation in Belarus after clashes in the night in Minsk over a disputed presidential election.

"The authorities have used force against their citizens, who are demanding change in the country. We must support the Belarusian people in their quest for freedom," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a statement.

Morawiecki said he had written to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel with the request for a summit.

A European official said consultations were underway ahead of a probable statement on the "very serious developments" in Belarus but warned it was "very difficult" to confirm reports from the country because of official restrictions and slow internet.

Michel wrote on Twitter that "violence against protesters is not the answer".

"Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, basic human rights must be upheld," he said.

Belarus borders Russia to the east, Ukraine to the south and EU member states Poland, Lithuania and Latvia to the north and west.

In a joint statement on Sunday, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda had urged Belarus "to fully recognise and uphold basic democratic standards" including freedom of speech.

"We are convinced that closer cooperation with the European Union is in the interest of Belarus and stand ready to continue to provide further support to Belarus in deepening its relations with the united European family," they wrote.