North Korea in centre of Europe

The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the information about closing borders for representatives of the European Union and the United States.

MFA spokesman Andrei Savinykh told BelaPAN at a briefing on May 26 that a possibility of extending a list of foreign officials banned from entering Belarus in response to extending the EU blacklist was being considered by experts.

We remind that the list of Belarusian officials banned from entry to the EU countries was widened on May 24. The blacklist of 175 individuals was extended 13 judges and prosecutors involved in trials over persons in the case of mass disturbances on December 19, 2010.

On March 22, Savinykh said the Belarusian side had taken retaliatory measures to respond to the EU and US sanctions and prepared a list of persons banned to enter Belarus. According to him, “the list includes persons who undertake destructive actions against Belarus and damage international co-operation.”

According to unofficial information in late March, the list includes over 150 representatives of the EU and US, among them EP President Jerzy Buzek, known as a critic of official Minsk, and other high-ranking officials.