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Cyprus and Greece have long called for a stronger EU response to Turkey’s exploration for natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean, which it considers illegal. However, other EU countries believe this may hamper ongoing mediation efforts and therefore want to wait.
The behavior of Cyprus is very unpleasant for Brussels, as it has recently been announced several times that new sanctions against Belarus will soon come into force. Through punitive measures, the EU wants to put pressure on the country’s leaders and show solidarity with the people.
In Belarus, protests and strikes against President Lukashenko, who has been authoritarian for 26 years, have continued since the August 9 elections.
Under current plans, the EU would impose sanctions on dozens of people accused of contributing to the falsification of electoral results or the violent repression of peaceful protests. However, Mr. Lukashenko himself is not yet on the list.
The Cypriot mission to the EU does not comment on its blockade. However, Foreign Minister Nicosia Christodoulidis implicitly threatened a veto at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in late August. “We do not want double standards,” she said, commenting on whether her country would support sanctions against Belarus if there were no sanctions against Turkey.
Last week it was announced that Lukashenko would not be included in the European Union sanctions list, mainly due to the position of Germany, but also of France and Italy.
The Welt newspaper reported this on Friday, citing its sources.
According to the publication, Berlin, Paris and Rome affirmed that “despite all the circumstances, the communication channels with Mr. Lukashenko must be kept open”, as they believe that his inclusion in the black list would mean the complete end of the dialogue with Minsk . Mr. Lukashenko is called first of all by the Baltic states and Poland.
In Belarus on August 9. Presidential elections were held in which 80.1 percent. A. Lukashenko, who ruled the country for 26 years, received votes. According to official figures, opposition spokeswoman Sviatlana Cichanouskaya ranked second with 10.12 percent. votes, but did not acknowledge the results. S. Cichanouskaja herself left Belarus on the night of August 11 for her safety and is currently in Lithuania.
The rigged elections in the country have unleashed a wave of protests that so far has not abated. The protests were violently repressed by the authorities, several people died, thousands were arrested and torture was reported in detention centers.
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