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Belarus will respond to the Baltic countries’ sanctions with similar measures, the country’s foreign minister announced. At the same time, the country’s military is said to be discussing a joint military exercise with its Russian allies.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Misjustin. Stock Photography.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania got ahead of the EU on Monday, imposing travel restrictions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and 29 other representatives of his regime. When Belarus now responds with similar measures, they are targeting individuals who, as described by Foreign Minister Vladimir Makej, have interfered in the country’s internal affairs.
The EU as a whole is subject to a set of sanctions similar to those in the Baltic, but has progressed more slowly.
As the regime continues to suppress the protest movement, a prominent opposition leader announces that he has traveled to Poland. Pavel Latushko, a member of the opposition-formed Transitional Council, says he will meet with Polish government officials and parliamentarians before planning to return to Minsk, reports the Russian state news agency Tass.
Latushko was Minister of Culture between 2009 and 2012. At first it was not clear why he left the country. The Transitional Council has accused the regime of threatening and exerting pressure on its members.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya has been in exile since the controversial August 9 elections, which have been condemned in many parts of the world.
Among Belarus’ few allies is Russia, whose Prime Minister Mikhail Misjustin will visit the capital, Minsk, on Thursday. This according to information from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who on Wednesday received his Belarusian colleague Vladimir Makej in Moscow.
The trip to Minsk comes at a time when the authoritarian Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, is being strongly questioned. The country has been rocked by protests critical of the regime and demands for Lukashenko’s resignation since the elections.
During his visit to Moscow, Makey said that the situation in his home country was stabilizing. Lavrov accused the EU and NATO of “destructive statements” and accused “trained Ukrainian extremists” of causing trouble in the country. Lavrov further said that Russia sees no reason to “trade” with the Belarusian opposition, as it engages in illegal activities.
The remarks were made at the same time the Belarusian software company Pandadoc announced that authorities had raided its headquarters and detained employees. The company’s chief executive tells Reuters he believes the raid is politically motivated and is linked to interviews he has conducted on the situation in the country.
On Friday, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Chrenin will visit Russia.
Army representatives from the two countries discussed preparations for a joint exercise in Belarus this year by phone on Wednesday, according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, according to Russia’s state news agency Ria.
Fixed: An earlier version provided an incorrect statement about an opposition representative.
