Belarus expects EU to realize that return to dialogue with Minsk has no alternative
MINSK. May 23 (Interfax) - The European Union will hopefully realize the futility of sanctions and that a return to dialogue with the Belarusian authorities has no alternative, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary after Belarus imposed additional restrictions on the import of goods from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Estonia.
"It is with great regret that the Belarusian side notes the ongoing attempts by these EU countries to become leaders of the Western anti-Belarus agenda. Such a policy towards the destruction of friendly ties between the peoples of our countries, the continuous invention of new restrictions and the spread of misinformation regarding the real situation in Belarus cannot be explained," the Foreign Ministry said in its statement.
These are not just economic restrictions, but also "restrictions on the freedom of movement of people and goods, bans on the payment of pensions and alimony, illegal confiscation of goods and freezing of assets through an expansive interpretation of sanctions, threats to nationalize Belarusian state property," it said.
"All this bacchanalia takes place with the tacit consent of the majority of the EU member states, whose representatives simply sign yet another anti-Belarusian demarche prepared by 'recognized experts on Belarus' from Vilnius and Warsaw, to which 'experts' from Riga, Prague and Tallinn added [...] If the above-mentioned countries fail to immediately push through the most odious initiatives against Belarus, they are promptly adopted at the national level, and then Brussels is 'taken by force'. At the same time, such decisions obviously do not meet the interests of the EU member states themselves," the ministry said.
"We note once again the futility of any sanctions measures. We trust that from now on the EU countries will soberly and in a balanced way assess the information from their partners about the threats allegedly coming from Belarus and will come to understand that there is no alternative to a return to dialogue with Minsk in the interests of the stability and security of the entire region," the ministry said.
As reported, the Belarusian government decided on May 21 to take measures in retaliation for unfriendly acts by the EU and some of its member states. Belarus expanded the list of goods the import and sale of which is prohibited across Belarusian territory, adding to it certain goods produced in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Estonia. They include beer, fermented drinks, skin care products, hair care products, shaving products, oral and dental hygiene products, deodorants, bath products, soaps, detergents, carpets, men's textile clothing, genuine leather shoes, headwear, bedding, tableware, kitchenware made of porcelain and glass, mattress bases, varnishes, paints, plates, sheets, plastic films, paper and cardboard tags and labels.
The import and sale of water, including mineral and carbonated water, from unfriendly countries, has also been banned.
"The resolution came as a response to Latvia's decision to ban the import of certain food products from Belarus, Lithuania's decision to ban the import of agricultural products and feed from Belarus for one year, as well as to the EU Council Regulation initiated mostly by five countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Estonia) that seeks to impose increased tariffs on the import of Belarusian agricultural products," it said.