[ad_1]
The heads of government and state of the European Union (EU) reached an agreement on Thursday on the application of sanctions to repressors in Belarus, after a negotiation process of almost nine hours to ensure the transfer of Cyprus.
“We agreed today to implement the sanctions that we had already defined,” declared the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, in statements to journalists at the end of the first day of this extraordinary summit dedicated to Belarus and the crisis in the eastern Mediterranean in Brussels.
“It is a clear and important sign that we are credible, […] to be completed tomorrow [sexta-feira] through a written procedure to implement sanctions against Belarus, on a list of about 40 names ”of people linked to the repression actions, added Charles Michel.
The aim of the EU is that “the people of Belarus have the right to decide their own future,” he added.
The presidential elections on August 9 in Belarus gave victory to Alexander Lukashenko, in power for 26 years, who is contested by the opposition and is not recognized by the EU.
When asked by the press if Alexander Lukashenko is among the 40 names that will be subject to restrictive measures (such as limits on movement or access to goods), Charles Michel said that the Belarusian president was not on the list.
Regarding the deadlines for the application of the sanctions, Charles Michel said that after the formal adoption on Thursday, this is an “immediate process”.
Also present at the press conference, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was “very satisfied” with the agreement of the European leaders.
“There will be no impunity for those responsible for the repression of protesters and political opponents,” said the leader of the community executive.
Cyprus process blocked
The EU heads of government and state have met since around 4 pm (3 pm in Lisbon) on Thursday to try to reach an agreement on the application of sanctions to repressors in Belarus, in a process that was being blocked by Cyprus.
Although it agreed with the sanctions, Cyprus was blocking their application by demanding similar measures against Turkey, given the crisis in the eastern Mediterranean.
Due to Nicosia’s reluctance, the imposition of restrictive measures on Belarus was one of the first issues discussed by European leaders at the beginning of the work and, being also one of the most controversial, ended up going at dinner time, according to various European sources.
Around midnight, Charles Michel interrupted work to alter the text on the table, with which Cyprus did not agree.
About an hour later, it was officially closed on the first day of the summit, with the approval of European leaders for sanctions against Belarusian repressors.
After the “green light” given by the EU Council last August, the list of restrictive measures in relation to Belarus had to be formally approved unanimously to be effective.
At a time of tension in Minsk, the imposition by the EU of sanctions on the repressors was seen as urgent, so it was necessary to convince Nicosia to give in.
Belarusians have been protesting in the streets, in demonstrations repressed by the authorities, since the presidential elections that extended Alexander Lukashenko’s 26-year term, giving him 80% of the vote. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, her main rival, got 10%.
