The European Union (EU) has agreed on economic sanctions against Belarus, according to the German edition of the Rheinische Post, citing diplomatic sources. Such measures are related to the forced landing in Minsk of the plane of the Irish airline Ryanair, as a result of which the ex-chief editor of the Belarusian Telegram channel Nexta Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend, Russian woman Sofya Sapega, were removed from the flight and arrested.
According to the newspaper, the restrictions will apply to the oil and gas sector of Belarus, telecom, potash, phosphate and tobacco production, as well as to “dual-use” goods that can be used by law enforcement agencies. In addition, it is planned to ban the export of weapons to the republic.
Reuters, citing the Austrian Foreign Ministry and diplomatic sources, reports that the EU also plans to ban the issuance of new loans to Belarus, securities trading, the purchase of bonds and the provision of investment services to this country.
“With this agreement, the EU sends a clear and purposeful signal against the unbearable repression of the Belarusian regime,” the agency quotes a statement from the Austrian Foreign Ministry.
On June 10, more than 600 members of the European Parliament (EP) supported a resolution proposing tough sanctions against Belarus over the Ryanair incident. The document envisioned the extension of restrictions to the oil industry and enterprises engaged in woodworking and the production of potash fertilizers and steel. The EP also advocated a complete rejection of financial support for Belarus and the temporary disconnection of the country from the international system of interbank payments SWIFT.
The plane of the Irish airline Ryanair on the Athens-Vilnius flight on May 23 urgently landed at the Minsk airport because of the message from the Belarusian side about mining. Subsequently, it was not confirmed. After landing, Protasevich and Sapega were removed from the flight and detained. Now both are under arrest in the capital of the republic.
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