EU isn’t ready to lift sanctions from Belarus, though it welcomes the release of political prisoners

The head of Belgian Foreign Ministry Didier Reynders stated that at the informal meeting of the EU Ministers.

Relations with the Eastern partners, including Belarus, were discussed at the meeting. However, the question of lifting sanctions against the official Minsk wasn’t discussed. Brussels isn’t discussing this issue; however, there’s time till the end of the year, Didier Reynders reported.

“We note some steps, such as the release of political prisoners”, - marked the Belgian diplomat, adding that EU welcomes that. But still, the EC “hasn’t moved further, including the issue of sanctions”.

Reynders emphasized that the terms of decision expire in the end of 2015. The discussion might take place after the presidential elections in Belarus. 

The decision can be explained by Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s decision to release political prisoners including ex-presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich on August 22. The European diplomatic circles started mentioning some warming in Belarus-EU relations back then.

The sanctions forbidding a number of Belarusian officials and entrepreneurs to enter the European Union and to freeze their European assets were imposed on Belarus after the presidential election held in 2010, recalls Euroradio. It was a response to the violation of human rights and repressions of protesters who had come to Independence Square.

Earlier that week the sixth round of modernization consultations with the EU was also organized in Brussels. Alena Kupchyna, deputy Foreign Minister, represented Belarus; and the European Union was represented by Gunnar Wiegand, European External Action Service (EEAS) Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia Regional Cooperation and OSCE countries, the Belarusian MFA press service reports.

The results of the previous rounds and ‘prospects of cooperation in priority directions based on the agreements reached in 2014-2015’ were discussed at the meeting.