EU to impose sanctions against four Belarusian businessmen

During the coming March session of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, the EU is determined to expand the sanctions against Belarus.

The black list will now include four new names, these of Belarusian businessmen that cooperate closely with Aliaksandar Lukashenka.

According to EUobserver, “Aliaksandar Lukashenka’s close friend, real estate tycoon Yury Chyzh (the director of Triple and owner of the football club Dynama Minsk) is the number-one candidate, but there can come other names, such as Aliaksandar Mashenski (the director of Santa-Impex Brest), Aliaksandar Shakutsin (the CEO of Amkodor), and Paval Tapuzidzis (the director of Tabak-Invest and owner of Korona hypermarkets chain).”

We remind that on 28 February Minsk asked EU envoy to Belarus Maira Mora and Poland’s Ambassador Leszek Szerepka ”to leave to their capitals for consultations in order to communicate to their offices the firm position of the Belarusian part concerning the unacceptable nature of the pressure and sanctions.”

In reply, Brussels recalled the EU ambassadors from Minsk to show solidarity with the Polish and EU ambassadors.

On 27 February during the session of the EU Foreign Affairs Council held in Brussels the so-called black list was expanded to include another 21 Belarusian authorities from courts and security services. Their names will be published on 29 February in the EU Official Journal.

Initially the list contained 158 names. Later on the list was systematically expanded by the EU Council, and now includes more than 200 Belarusian authorities.

In March the EU Council will consider the full list of Belarusian enterprises and businessmen who can be embraced by the EU sanctions, Catherine Ashton said.