TALLINN, August 16 - RAPSI. The Estonian Embassy has approved on Thursday a treaty pursuant to which Tallinn will represent Sweden's visa interests in Belarus as of August 20 after Minsk banished the Swedish diplomats from the country following the "teddy bear" scandal.

The diplomatic scandal between Minsk and Stockholm were strained after teddy bears with mottos in support of freedom of speech had been thrown out of a Swedish plane illegally crossing Belarusian airspace in early June.

After the incident, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry decided not to extend the accreditation of Swedish Ambassador Stefan Ericsson, which Stockholm considered to be an expulsion.

In response, Sweden expelled the Belarusian ambassador posted in Sweden. Belarus then recalled its embassy in Stockholm and proposed that Sweden do the same.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the diplomatic conflict has nothing to do with the teddy bear incident on August 9. He noted that Belarus and Sweden earlier agreed on another exchange of ambassadors, but Sweden violated the agreements, thus resulting in the conflict.

The treaty between Estonia and Sweden will come into effect on August 20.