German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, on the eve of the meeting of EU foreign ministers, called new sanctions against Belarus inevitable, noting that these restrictive measures should affect the country’s economy.
The foreign ministers of the European Union will gather on Monday for a meeting in Luxembourg, the main topic of the meeting will be Belarus and sanctions against Minsk, as well as relations with Iraq and Latin American countries.
“I believe that additional sanctions against Belarus are inevitable”, – Maas said in an interview with Welt, noting that earlier sanctions were imposed on individuals and organizations.
“Now we must extend sanctions to parts of the Belarusian economy, such as the potash industry or the energy sector. We must also deprive the government in Minsk of the opportunity to raise funds within the EU by issuing government bonds”.
After the presidential elections in Belarus on August 9, 2020, in which Alexander Lukashenko won for the sixth time, who, according to the CEC, gained 80.1% of the vote, massive opposition protests began in the country, to suppress which the security forces, among other things, used special means and special equipment. On February 11, the KGB of Belarus announced that the situation in the country had stabilized, the peak of the protests had passed, their manifestations had practically disappeared.
The opposition considers Tikhanovskaya to be the winner of the elections, initiates the expansion of international sanctions against official Minsk and the holding of new elections. In Belarus, criminal cases have been initiated against a number of opposition leaders, including calls for the seizure of power, the creation of an extremist group, a conspiracy to seize state power by unconstitutional means, and attempted terrorist attacks. Tikhanovskaya, who has left for Lithuania, who is also a defendant in criminal cases, is included in the list of persons involved in terrorist activities; Minsk is seeking her extradition.