European foreign ministers do not plan to consider imposing economic sanctions on Belarus at a meeting of the European Council on Foreign Relations to be held on January 31 in Brussels. According to information released by the European Parliament on January 31, only visa ban on the Belarusian leadership was proposed for discussion.
According to a press release of the European Parliament, the EU Council will take a final resolution on January 31 as a call for the Belarusian authorities to immediately release the detained protesters on December 19. In addition, the EU Council plans to adopt a statement of further assistance to the civil society in Belarus.
The final hearing on sanctions against the Belarusian leadership will be attended by 27 foreign ministers of the EU countries, reports Ale.by.
According to the information from unofficial sources in the EU Council, a list of persons to get under visa sanctions includes 158 Belarusian officials. The head of state Alexander Lukashenko and his eldest sons, Defense Minister of Belarus Yuri Zhadobin, the head of the Security Council Leonid Maltsev, head of the KGB Vadim Zaitsev, head of the administration of President Vladimir Makei, the Prosecutor General Grigori Vasilevich, the speaker of the lower house of Parliament Vladimir Andreichenko, 24 Chairmen of the territorial electoral commissions, 30 judges and 10 journalists are among them.
However, as Telegraf previously reported, head of the Constitutional Court of Belarus Petr Miklashevich said on January 26 that the EU had no legal grounds to impose sanctions on the official Minsk. «The elections were held in accordance with the Constitution and national legislation,» emphasized the head of the Constitutional Court.
In turn, the head of the National Bank of Belarus Petr Prokopovich believes that the EU will not introduce economic sanctions against Belarus. «The introduction of economic sanctions in the XXI century is, at least, wildness. Moreover, the sanctions are a two-way relationship,» said Petr Prokopovich.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on January 27, urging the EU to impose sanctions on those responsible for repression of the Belarusian opposition. PACE members claimed non-recognition of the results of the presidential elections in Belarus in the resolution and called on the European parties to support the opposition in Belarus.
