MINSK. Dec 17 (Interfax) - Former Belarusian Ambassador to Argentina Vladimir Astapenko has filed a lawsuit against the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, demanding that the description of the reason for his dismissal be changed in his order on employment termination, the ex-diplomat's lawyer Sergei Zikratsky said.
"We have [Belarusian President] Alexander Lukashenko's decree terminating Vladimir Astapenko's employment and stripping him of his diplomatic rank 'for having committed an offense incompatible with diplomatic service'. On the basis of this decree, the Foreign Ministry issued an order on termination of his employment citing the same reason. That's why Vladimir Astapenko filed a lawsuit against the Foreign Ministry. The lawsuit challenges directly this description of the reason for his dismissal, because he is quite content with the fact that he was dismissed," Zikratsky said in an interview with the tut.by news website.
Astapenko earlier handed in his letter of resignation, saying that "the current authorities are not legitimate enough, and the violations committed by the current authorities did not give him any moral and legal right to perform his diplomatic service."
Astapenko insists that he should have been dismissed at the parties' consent following his second letter of resignation where he refers to Clause 41 of the Labor Code, i.e. due to violations of the law by the employer that prevent him from performing his work in accordance with the labor contract.
Zikratsky explained that the diplomat's employer from a legal standpoint was the Foreign Ministry.
As reported earlier, Lukashenko signed a decree relieving Astapenko of his duties and stripping him of his diplomatic status "for having committed an offense incompatible with diplomatic service." Earlier, on September 23, Astapenko handed his letter of resignation, saying that he believes "in a better future for the Belarusian people."