The European Union authorities have abandoned the idea of imposing a sanction against the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. It is reported by the German weekly newspaper Die Welt.
“For this, it was primarily Germany, supported by France and Italy,” the article says.
According to the newspaper, the authorities of these countries believe that “despite all the circumstances, the channels of communication with Lukashenka should be kept open”. And the inclusion of the Belarusian leader in the blacklist, in their opinion, will mean a complete cessation of the dialogue with Minsk.
Earlier, many EU member states, including Poland and the Baltic states, insisted on imposing sanctions against Lukashenka. They refused to recognize the results of the last presidential elections in Belarus.
On August 27-28, an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the EU countries took place in Berlin. They decided to complete the sanctions procedure against Belarus as soon as possible. Brussels compiled a list of about two dozen Belarusian officials who were supposed to be banned from entering the EU and using the European banking system.
Meanwhile, a member of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition, Nobel Prize in Literature Svetlana Aleksievich said that Alexander Lukashenko speaks only with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that perhaps “Putin will help us. ” She noted that Belarus “needs help from the world and, perhaps, Russia, to overcome this crisis.”
In 2004 – 2016, Belarus was subject to European Union sanctions on charges of human rights violations. The list included up to 130 people at various times. In September 2008, the EU froze sanctions. But after the presidential elections in the republic in 2010, he resumed their effect and even toughened them up.
