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The EU is negotiating sanctions against Belarus in response to the fraudulent presidential elections a few weeks ago and the brutal crackdown on law enforcement activists in the wake of the aftermath.
In a meeting with his Finnish counterpart, L. Linkevičius, in Vilnius, he said that the first package of sanctions for high-ranking Belarusian officials should be prepared by the European Commission on the basis of proposals from Member States. According to him, this was agreed at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Berlin this week.
Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Lin Linkevičius
“The size of the list will be difficult to say, but the first stage will not be exactly what you might have expected, but it is as far as we can agree.” And it is important to agree that this is not the end, “the Lithuanian head of diplomacy told reporters on Saturday.
The European Union’s diplomatic service intends to propose the imposition of sanctions on some 20 Belarusian officials, but the decision will not be made before September, the BNS news agency wrote this week.
At that time, Lithuania intends to impose sanctions on almost 120 Belarusians; L. Linkevičius submitted this list to the Minister of the Interior, Rita Tamašunienė, for her approval.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavist said the EU has not yet discussed specific officials who should be sanctioned. He also stressed that the most important thing now is to promote dialogue between the government and the opposition.
Complexity cannot be more important than a position that must be based on values.
The dialogue failed, but it was worth it
L. Linkevičius also stated that the attempt to start the dialogue between Lithuania and Belarus was unsuccessful.
President Gitanas Nausėda, who took office last year, promised to re-establish communication between Vilnius and Minsk.
“I think we can honestly say that we used the slightest hope when she knitted,” said the minister.
According to him, in recent years, relations with Belarus have been strengthened by the EU and the United States, and Lithuania has followed suit.
However, L. Linkevičius stated that it was worth a try.
“Was necessary? I still think it was necessary. We have to hold out some hope. If we see (positive – 15 minutes), we have to capture them, ”he said.
Mode does not enter dialogue
Linkevičius regretted that the Belarusian regime has so far refused to enter into dialogue with the opposition and the Coordination Council, which seeks to hold new elections in the country.
AFP / “Scanpix” nuotr./Baltarusija
“The problem is that the regime does not enter into any dialogue. The problem is that other countries that can influence, like Russia, continue to support a leader who has committed enough, “said the politician.
According to him, these circumstances should encourage the EU to react in principle and not pragmatically.
“Reformism cannot be more important than a position that must be based on values not only theoretically, but also in practice,” said the head of Lithuanian diplomacy.
He reiterated that Lithuania does not interfere in Belarusian affairs: “This is not an interference when we say that we do not recognize those elections. (…) A person who did not run in an election that we could recognize cannot be recognized as a leader.” .
The electoral commission, loyal to the regime, says Lukashenko picked up more than 80 percent of the elections in early August. votes. The opposition claims that these results are falsified.
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