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“They are all (Europeans – ed.): Sanctions, sanctions, we will introduce sanctions! Well, we will answer you. How far can you walk with your head down?” If they want to transport goods across the Mediterranean to the east, to Russia, to China , let them transport, “Lukashenko said during a meeting in Minsk with former Moldovan President Igor Dodon on Wednesday.
The authoritarian leader of Belarus is quoted by his press service.
Lukashenko has asked the government to inform European countries about the prospect of retaliation against Belarus.
“I have instructed the Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister, the special services: present them with real facts and prospects if sanctions are imposed on Europeans … I stress that we will be forced to reply that our people will not be ashamed of their leaders ”, he emphasized.
Mr Lukashenko previously said that European companies operating in Belarus would have problems with tougher EU sanctions.
“If the Europeans want problems with these sanctions, they will get them. I will not say anything more, time will tell. Please provide information on the most important European projects with us and your companies operating in Belarus. We will review your activities,” Lukashenko said earlier. this week when he summoned Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko.
The Belarusian government issued an embargo on Škoda Auto, Nivea and Beiersdorf products last month in execution of a March 30 presidential decree on retaliatory sanctions against Belarus.
Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, declared himself the winner of last August’s elections and was later sworn in for a six-year period, despite criticism from the international community and the country’s manipulated opposition. State authorities responded by force to the post-election demonstrations and sentenced hundreds of people to harsh prison terms.
Following the elections, the European Union imposed sanctions on a chain of Belarusian officials and, in December, economic sanctions were imposed on a chain of state-owned companies. In total, three EU sanctions packages have been imposed on Minsk since October. The media announced that the fourth package of sanctions could be approved in June, but it could happen sooner.
Last month, the United States lifted a moratorium on sanctions imposed on large Belarusian companies since 2015.
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