YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The United States said Monday it was "disappointed" by the presidential election held in Belarus, adding that it fell short of the former Soviet republic's international commitment to holding polls that are free and fair.

The statement released by U.S. Department of State says:

“The United States welcomes the peaceful conduct of the October 11 presidential election in Belarus. However, we are disappointed that the elections fell significantly short of Belarus’ international obligations and commitments for free and fair elections, as demonstrated by reports from the OSCE ODIHR and Parliamentary Assembly election observation missions. These reports noted serious problems with the counting and tabulation of votes, the composition of territorial and precinct election commissions, as well as a lack of fundamental reform to Belarus’ flawed legal framework governing elections.”

“We call on Belarus to honor the U.S.-Belarus December 2010 joint statement in which “Belarus acknowledges that enhanced respect for democracy and human rights in Belarus remains central to improving bilateral relations and is essential to the progress of the country and its citizens.” Doing so will strengthen Belarusian sovereignty and independence, which the United States unequivocally and firmly supports, as was reaffirmed during a May 2015 bilateral dialogue on human rights and democracy, and pave the way to improved bilateral ties on the basis of democratic values and human rights,” the statement concludes.