MINSK -- U.S. Ambassador Karen Stewart was leaving Belarus temporarily Wednesday, her embassy said, after authorities in the former Soviet republic urged her to return to Washington.
"The ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Belarus, Karen Stewart, departed the embassy at 1 p.m. ... en route to Washington," the U.S. Embassy in Minsk said in a statement.
"Ambassador Stewart's absence is temporary, and she remains the U.S. ambassador to Belarus."
