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Minsk announced the move after Brussels imposed new sanctions on Belarus for the forced landing of the Ryanair passenger liner and human rights violations.
A statement from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that “we cannot fulfill our obligations under this agreement under the sanctions and restrictions imposed by the European Union.” The ministry added that the Belarusian envoy to the EU had canceled the consultations.
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, condemned this measure by Belarus on Monday.
“Belarus took a step back today by suspending its participation in the Eastern Partnership,” he wrote on Twitter, adding that such a decision “would further increase tensions.”
The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that “the forced suspension of the agreement will have a negative impact on cooperation with the European Union in the fight against illegal immigration and organized crime.”
The Ministry noted that “due to the unprecedented restrictive measures imposed by the European Union on Belarus, Dirk Schuebel, Head of the EU Representation in the Republic of Belarus, was summoned today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“During the meeting, the European Union envoy was given a firm position on the use of sanctions by Belarus as a tool to pressure a sovereign and independent state. The diplomat received information on concrete steps in response to actions that they endanger the national security of Belarus and directly harm its economy and citizens, “the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada extended sanctions on Belarus last week in response to an incident on May 27 when a Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius forcibly landed in Minsk. At that time, Belarusian security services detained Raman Pratasevich, a Belarusian opposition blogger who had flown on the plane, and his friend, Sofia Sapega, a Russian citizen studying in Vilnius.
Recent restrictions have added to the chain of other sanctions against the regime of authoritarian Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenko, announced after last August’s elections, the winner of which has been declared the country’s leading leader since 1994. The opposition and Western democracies see the elections as rigged, and the months-long unprecedented protests they sparked have been brutally repressed by the Minsk regime.
“Harmful solutions”
On June 24, the EU officially announced the imposition of sanctions on the Minsk regime in high-income sectors of the economy, including exports of Belarusian potash fertilizers, petroleum products and tobacco products. In addition, the Belarusian government and state-owned banks have been denied access to EU financial markets.
Belarus’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that, in response to EU sanctions, Minsk is taking retaliatory action by banning officials from EU institutions from entering the country and calling its ambassador to the Community to make inquiries.
“The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the EU is called to Minsk for consultations. The head of the EU mission in the Republic of Belarus was also offered to go to Brussels for consultations to convey to his leadership the position of Belarus on the unacceptability of pressure and sanctions, “the ministry said in a statement.
Furthermore, “in return, representatives of the EU structures and the people of the European Union who contributed to the imposition of restrictions will be banned from entering Belarus,” the Foreign Ministry added.
The report says that Belarus “continues to develop other response measures, including those of an economic nature.”
“We hope that officials in the EU and its member states will realize how damaging and unfeasible decisions to apply a force-based approach are in relations with Belarus.” Belarus’ proposals for the development of dialogue, interaction and cooperation with the European Union on the basis of equality and mutual respect remain valid, “the ministry added.
Pragmatic program
In 2009, the EU launched the Eastern Partnership initiative and offered six former Soviet republics (Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Sakartvel) better economic and political ties if they undertake reforms.
Some program partners, notably Sakartwell and Ukraine, consider that this initiative increases their chances of joining the European Union. These countries were determined to push the partnership in an even more ambitious direction.
At the most recent Eastern Partnership Summit in 2017, EU leaders and participating countries promised to deepen ties, but no promises were made of possible Community membership.
The partnership is primarily focused on tangible results, such as increased trade between the EU and partner countries, the possible abolition of mobile roaming charges and the promotion of student exchanges.
Lukashenko was invited to the Eastern Partnership summit for the first time in 2017, when the sanctions imposed on him and other Belarusian officials were lifted to encourage positive steps in the country in the field of human rights.
However, Lukashenko has only delegated his foreign minister, and hopes for democratic reforms in Belarus have been dashed by last year’s presidential elections and the crackdown on protesters.
Brussels says the Eastern Partnership “is not directed against any country,” but Moscow has long viewed it as an attempt by Brussels to increase its role in Russia’s traditional sphere of influence.
