The EU's Sanctions Policy Toward Belarus Will Remain Unchanged

Photo: NAM-media

The European Union has no intention of softening sanctions against the Lukashenko regime. This was stated by the EU's Special Envoy for Sanctions, David O'Sullivan, in response to a question from Coordination Council delegate and member of the CC delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Pavel Latushka.

During a session of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy at the PACE spring session, Pavel Latushka put the following question to the EU representative: "Will new sanctions against the Lukashenko regime be introduced in the near future? And are there any obstacles to this at present?" He also emphasised that the Lukashenko regime continues to destabilise the situation on the borders with Belarus's neighbours that are EU member states: Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

In responding to Pavel Latushka's question, David O'Sullivan noted:

"All sanctions that the EU imposes against Russia automatically extend to Belarus as well. The EU consistently adheres to this policy and has no plans to change it."

"The United States has begun to ease sanctions against Belarus, which is causing concern within the EU, as this creates 'gaps' in the sanctions regime against Russia. The European Union considers this problematic and has no intention of following the same path."

Following the event, Pavel Latushka and David O'Sullivan held a separate conversation devoted to the need for continued pressure on the regime. During the conversation, Latushka stressed that as long as Lukashenko does not change his internal repressive and external aggressive policies, European sanctions must not be lifted.

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