Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says that the EU sanctions against Belarus may prove to be ineffective. According to experts, the Lithuanian leader fears that sanctions could deprive the port in Klaipeda of its main source of income, reports RuBaltic.
“Possible measures against Belaruskali are the same case, when Lithuania dug a hole for its neighbour and got into it. The oil and chemical industry is likely to become the main target of sectoral economic sanctions to be imposed by the EU on the “last dictatorship in Europe” for the foreseeable future, writes RuBaltic.
Belaruskali is one of the world’s largest producers of potash fertilizers, which generates a significant part of the republic’s income.
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said that sanctions against the company “would be very painful for Lukashenko.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis suggested focusing on sanctions against oil exports instead of restrictions against the chemical industry. The author of the RuBaltic article explained that Belaruskali exports 90% of its production through the port of Klaipeda, which brings a lot of money to Lithuania.
“What will happen if Klaipeda suddenly stops receiving Belarusian cargos? In the long run all of them will go to the ports of Leningrad Oblast but it takes time and money”, concluded the expert.