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L. Kojala spoke about it on Monday on the “Delfi rytas” program.
“The message is probably clear enough that there are no red lines for the Belarusian regime: all possible steps and measures will be taken to achieve the actions that the regime and Lukashenko personally need, even if this threatens well-being, life or security. Health”. of many innocent people. “, – the situation was described by the head of the ESC.
All the country’s leaders reacted to the aforementioned incident, they were required to return all passengers to Vilnius. The international community also reacted to the event.
According to L. Kojala, politicians outside of Lithuania realize that this is an event of international importance, especially since R. Pratasevičius is a well-known Minsk opposition figure, he had political asylum in Poland and the plane made him they piloted citizens. from various countries.
“The reaction was very quick and made it clear that it was an event of international significance. (…) The rhetorical reaction was quite harsh at first, but now is the time to make concrete decisions, ”said the expert.
Decisions, according to L. Kojala, must be made so that “it does not become another political and informational victory for Minsk.”
Linas Kojala
“Not all decisions related to this event will necessarily be taken today; harmonization in multilateral formats generally takes time, but concrete measures must be taken, otherwise it will be difficult to consider the reaction as commensurate with the situation and the threat to innocent people and Pratasevic himself. ”- emphasized the specialist.
When asked what measures the EU could take, Kojala highlighted the recognition of Belarusian airspace as unsafe for flights, the issue of new flights by Belarusian airlines to Europe and other countries, and the extension of current sanctions against members. of the Minsk regime.
Belarus is becoming a risk zone
The pilots were forced to turn around and land at Minsk airport, a short distance from Lithuanian airspace, as the Lukashenko regime had even raised several military aircraft, one of which was a fighter plane.
According to L. Kojala, the pilots of the plane were probably forced to make that decision, because otherwise all the passengers on the plane could be in danger.
“It just came to our knowledge then. In this case, the pilots had to act in a very responsible manner, understanding the threat posed by the regime and its trustees, who are taking any action to achieve actions that correspond to a very small group. Probably not it was possible to risk people’s lives and the pilots handled the situation as much as possible, ”said the head of the RESC.
According to witnesses who were arrested on the plane, R. Pratasevičius said he would face the death penalty in Belarus. L. Kojala pointed out that the response of the international community to this event must be strict, because otherwise R. Pratasevičius will be at great risk.
“Influence is limited because the Belarusian regime, supported by the Kremlin, has the ability to deal with situations of this kind, regardless of international impunity or the fact that the death penalty is a long-forgotten phenomenon in Europe. , but it is still used in Belarus. Pressure will be needed, otherwise Pratasevičius will face a very high risk and threat, “said the director of RESC.
He also said that the Kremlin’s support for such an event was clear: a Russian Internet TV presenter soon praised Lukashenko for “a very effective action, a solution to the problem.”
© Scanpix / Reuters
“This is a good illustration of how the Kremlin views this situation.” The Kremlin’s support for the Lukashenko regime has not been questioned since the beginning of the protests and many years before, “Kojala recalled.
In his opinion, Belarusian airspace is becoming a risk zone.
“Belarus is really becoming a risk zone, if in the past more could be discussed from a theoretical perspective, knowing the regime, the nature of its operation, knowing how many people have already suffered from what is happening in Belarus, but now it is taking on new colors and meanings. Decisions are likely to be made, “said the expert.
Although there are not many levers in the EU, Kojala noted, they still exist.
“It is important that the EU countries demonstrate in this case the unity and the concrete solutions that are necessary in this situation. “They would probably be mainly related to Belarusian airspace, but it is also likely that there is still untapped potential for sanctions against specific actors of the Belarusian regime,” said L. Kojala.
At the same time, the expert noted that the situation will not be stable in the future, but according to the head of the RESC, the focus on the Minsk regime is likely to increase, as it is perceived as dangerous.
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