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Speaking in the European Parliament, he pointed out that the August 9 elections, which were declared the winners of Lukashenko, who had ruled Belarus since 1994, were unfair.
The controversial election was followed by unprecedented anti-government protests in the country and the international community condemned the repression of the protesters by the Belarusian security forces.
“It just came to our notice then. We consider the August 9 elections to be unfair,” Borrell told MEPs.
“We do not recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus,” he added.
The EU had previously stated that it did not recognize Lukashenko’s reelection as legitimate and was preparing to impose sanctions on those responsible for falsifying the voting results and suppressing protests.
According to Borrell, more than 7,500 peaceful protesters have already been arrested in Belarus, as well as around 500 cases of torture.
However, diplomats note that Cyprus is blocking EU sanctions on Minsk, which initially requires criminal action against Turkey in the event of a dispute over natural gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.
Borrell said the credibility of the EU was at stake. He called on Member States to approve the sanctions that require unanimity before the community summit scheduled for the end of next week.
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