(BRUSSELS) - The European Union's Slovenian presidency on Tuesday urged Belarus to reconsider its recent expulsion of 11 US diplomats, which it described as "unjustified and harmful."

"The (EU) presidency would like to express its solidarity with the United States and its diplomatic service," it said in a statement.

"It calls on the government of Belarus to reconsider its decision and to take immediate steps allowing for a normalization of the relationship between Belarus and the United States on the basis of mutually beneficial cooperation."

Eleven US diplomats left Belarus Saturday after being expelled by the Minsk authorities, crossing the border into Lithuania just an hour before their deadline to leave expired.

"Such a measure is unjustified and harmful to the interests of the people of Belarus," the EU's Slovenian presidency said.

The diplomatic spat is the latest in a series of incidents between the US and a state Washington describes as the "last dictatorship in Europe."

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