EU Summit: Course to sanctions to be continued

The European Council raises more concerns about the situation in Belarus.

This statement was made by the President of the European Country, Herman Van Rompuy, at a press conference in Brussels following the EU Summit.

Talking about Belarus, he read out a paragraph on Belarus in the Council's conclusion: The European Council welcomes the decision reached at the Council to extend the list of those responsible for serious human rights violations or the repression of civil society and the democratic opposition”.

Van Rompuy added the point at issue was a travel ban and an assets freeze in the EU for Belarusian officials, Interfax-Zapad news agency reports.

In accordance with the summit conclusion, the EU Council has been entitled to work on further sanctions against Belarus.

“The EU will strengthen its engagement with the Belarusian civil society and to support the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people,” Van Rompuy said.

The EU leaders express their serious concern about the ongoing deterioration of the situation in Belarus and welcome the decision of the EU Council to extend the list of persons responsible for crackdown on the civil society and democratic opposition and for human rights violations, BelaPAN has learned from Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.

The European leaders expressed their commitment to to strengthening its engagement with the Belarusian civil society and to supporting the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people, the spokesperson for the EU foreign policy chief noted.

We remind the EU Foreign Affairs Council took a decision on February 27 to add 21 persons to the list of Belarusian officials subject to a travel ban and an assets freeze in the EU. It causes a diplomatic scandal between Minsk and Brussels. On February 28, the Belarusian authorities recommended head of the EU delegation to Belarus Maira Mora and Poland's ambassador Leszek Szerepka to “return to their capitals for consultations and to convey to their leadership a firm position of the Belarusian Side on inadmissibility of pressure and sanctions”.

In response, the EU member states recalled their ambassadors from Minsk. Most European diplomats have already left Belarus.