ISTANBUL

Belarus on Wednesday accused Europe of “gross interference” in its upcoming presidential election later this week.

Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz told reporters in the capital Minsk that debates are planned today on a resolution of the European Parliament, which was adopted by lawmakers later in the day, regarding the presidential election scheduled to be held on Sunday.

“Already at this stage, it is obvious that the draft is a gross interference in the electoral processes of a sovereign state. It has nothing to do with the real state of affairs and is intended to put pressure on the free expression of the will of Belarusian citizens,” Glaz said.

Glaz claimed that the Belarusian Foreign Ministry also received a statement from the European External Action Service (EEAS) planned to be released following the election.

“The elections in Belarus have just begun, and everything has already been condemned and not recognized,” Glaz further said, rejecting claims from the statement that restrictions on "access of independent media to Belarus seriously undermine the legitimacy of the electoral process."

He also said that about 330 foreign journalists were accredited to cover the election, going on to claim that the EEAS statement studied by Minsk shows European diplomacy is "admitting its impotence" amid Belarus' readiness to find solutions to specific challenges.

"The statement was not without the traditional set of cliches about the EU's support for democratic rights and fundamental freedoms. This is pure hypocrisy against the backdrop of the illegal sanctions that the EU has imposed on ordinary Belarusian citizens,” he added.

On Jan. 26, Belarus will hold a presidential election in which incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko will seek a seventh term in office against four other candidates. Early voting began on Tuesday.