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This decision paves the way for the issuance of travel bans and assets freezes to some 40 members of the Alexander Lukashenko regime, responsible for the manipulation of the presidential elections and the repression of protesters.
The EU countries had already decided in principle to impose sanctions on the Minsk regime, but were blocked by Cyprus, which called for similar measures against Turkey, with which the country disagrees on the exploration of natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean.
In a statement at the summit that was drawn up after more than six hours of discussion, the leaders of the 27 countries warned Ankara that sanctions could be announced “immediately” if it continued to explore gas in Cypriot waters.
That statement was enough for Cyprus to lift its veto on individual sanctions for the protracted crisis in Belarus. Authorities say they will go into effect on Friday.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has confirmed that Mr Lukashenko himself is not on the list of persons to be sanctioned.
“No, Lukashenko is not on the current list, but of course we will follow the situation and events,” he said after a meeting with EU leaders. Michelis.
The authoritarian president is on previously announced sanctions lists for Minsk in the UK and Canada.
For almost two months there have been unprecedented protests in Belarus over the presidential elections on August 9, which were declared won by Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994. The opposition and Western countries consider these elections to be rigged.
Warning Ankara
The first night of the two-day European Union summit was dominated by the bloc’s difficult ties with Turkey, which is embroiled in a dangerous maritime dispute with Greece and Cyprus.
The leaders’ statement offers Ankara the prospect of closer ties and better trade if it agrees to “continue the dialogue in good faith and refrain from unilateral action.”
However, he warns that the EU is ready to impose sanctions, possibly including far-reaching economic measures, if Turkey continues what Brussels considers an illegal violation of Cypriot waters.
“Once such action is renewed in Ankara, the EU will use all the means and opportunities at its disposal. We have a set of tools that we can adapt immediately,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters. , at the end of the first day of the summit.
However, previous EU warnings and sanctions against those involved in reconnaissance have hardly deterred Ankara, and the final declaration lacks the urgent action required by Nicosia.
RT Erdogan promises to maintain a “determined approach”
Before the EU summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his parliament that the Community had become “hostage to the spoiled Greeks and the Greek Cypriot administration.”
He promised to maintain his “determined attitude.”
EU leaders agreed to “follow developments” in the eastern Mediterranean and return to the issue at their next meeting in December.
Despite growing tensions with the RT Erdogan government, the EU is reluctant to exclude an important neighbor, a NATO member who played a key role in ending the 2015-2016 migration crisis on the Old Continent. .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for her part, wanted to underline that opportunities remain to improve relations.
“We also want to pursue this positive agenda because we understand the importance of strategic relations with Turkey, despite all the differences,” he said.
Tensions between Turkey and Greece eased somewhat, with both sides agreeing to resume long-stalled talks and establish a military hotline at NATO headquarters on Thursday to prevent unintentional clashes in the eastern Mediterranean.
EU leaders welcomed these actions and called for them to be “maintained and expanded”.
Negotiations on Turkey have been further complicated by allegations of interference by Ankara in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, where nearly 130 people were killed in the outbreak of new clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that he had information that Syrian jihadist militants were operating on the Azerbaijani side of Nagorno-Karabakh and demanded that Turkey explain it.
“The red line has been crossed, which is unacceptable,” Macron said. “I urge all NATO partners to acknowledge that there is such behavior on the part of a NATO member.”
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