Sweden says Belarus has expelled its ambassador because of his activities in support of human rights.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt called the move "outrageous" and said it "shows the nature of the regime" in Minsk.
Bildt said Stefan Eriksson, who took up the post in Minsk in 2008, was expelled because of meetings he has held with the Belarus opposition.
In a message posted on his Twitter account, Bildt said, "the new Belarus ambassador to Sweden is not welcome" and his office has also asked two other Belarusian diplomats to leave.
Meanwhile, ITAR-TASS quoted Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrey Savinykh as saying Belarusian authorities did not expel the Swedish ambassador but simply decided not to extend his accreditation.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt called the move "outrageous" and said it "shows the nature of the regime" in Minsk.
Bildt said Stefan Eriksson, who took up the post in Minsk in 2008, was expelled because of meetings he has held with the Belarus opposition.
In a message posted on his Twitter account, Bildt said, "the new Belarus ambassador to Sweden is not welcome" and his office has also asked two other Belarusian diplomats to leave.
Meanwhile, ITAR-TASS quoted Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrey Savinykh as saying Belarusian authorities did not expel the Swedish ambassador but simply decided not to extend his accreditation.
