Belarus' deportation of Stefan Kepperling causes tension with Germany

Belarus' decision to deport German citizen Stefan Kemmerling is complicating German-Belarussian relations. This was announced in a press release by the German embassy in Belarus yesterday.

According to the embassy 'on September 26 Minsk border officials refused to allow Stefan Kemmerling, a German national, to enter the country and Mr Kemmerling was deported despite the fact that he had a valid visa.'

Mr Kemmerling was supposed to give a report at a seminar for a project which is being financed by the German government. The Belarussian government had been informed about the German project and had made no objections.

'After the deportation of Jan Bush on August 16 2003 this latest decision taken by the Belarussian authorities against a German citizen is completely unacceptable,' the press release reads. 'The German government condemns these obvious attempts to prevent German and Belarussian social organisations from cooperating. It sees this as a new and difficult obstacle in its bilateral relations with Belarus which will not go unanswered.'