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The leaders of the member states of the European Union decided to impose sanctions against Belarus at their meeting on Thursday. On the sanctions list there are 40 who have been involved in ordering or carrying out acts of official violence against protesters in recent weeks.
President Lukashenko is not on the list, but the EU is closely monitoring developments, so that may change, said Charles Michel, president of the European Council.
While the British and Canadians had already imposed sanctions on Minsk long before, joint EU action was delayed for a month. So far Cyprus has crossed over to impose sanctions on Turkey for producing oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean. At a Council meeting on Thursday night, they agreed to address the Turkish issue again in December, and if they find the “provocation” continues, sanctions will be imposed, Reuters reports.
“We have a dual strategy. On the one hand, we want to give political dialogue an opportunity and, on the other, we express our determination to defend our values. We also reiterate our solidarity with Greece and Cyprus, ”said Michel.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, described the start of a dialogue between the Greek and Turkish parties as a step in the right direction. However, she regretted that Ankara “did not make this gesture” towards Cyprus.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe “cannot re-engage in dialogue” with Turkey while allowing it to cross the line of steps that remain acceptable. “He said the EU was sending a very clear and strong signal to Turkey on Greece and Cyprus (MTI, Reuters).
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