French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Varo has said that his country is recalling its ambassador to Belarus for consultations. Varo also condemned the Lukashenko government for alleged human rights violations and the repression of political opponents. The move came after the Belarusian Foreign Ministry asked European Union ambassadors to leave the country and called back its own envoys to the EU. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said that EU members had agreed to recall their ambassadors to Belarus in response.