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“Any dictator who plays with such thoughts must be forced to understand that he will pay a bitter price,” Maas told reporters in Berlin.
On Monday, European Union leaders agreed to end European aviation ties with Belarus and announce new economic sanctions.
“Our objective has always been to apply these measures to Lukashenko and his apparatus, not to the civilian population, who are already suffering enough from this regime,” he added.
The crash landing of a Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday and the arrest of opposition journalist Raman Pratasevic and his girlfriend sparked calls for tough action against Belarus’ longtime leader.
Maas said he will discuss the planned measures with foreign ministers of other EU countries during talks in Lisbon later this week.
He also said that the EU was “coordinating closely” with the United States.
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The German minister called the crash landing of the liner in Minsk an “unpleasant act” that endangered the lives of more than 170 people.
“It was an attack on aviation security, freedom of the press and European citizens on board,” Maas said.
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