Despite renewed support for the Belarusian people, foreign ministers were unable on Monday 21 September to adopt sanctions against those responsible for the electoral fraud, repression and violence in Belarus because of the opposition in Cyprus.
“Although there is a clear desire” to adopt measures, “this has not been possible because the necessary unanimity has not been reached”, explained the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. He revealed that adoption of such was not even on the official agenda of the meeting. On Friday 18 September, at the meeting of the Ambassadors of the Member States (Coreper), the Cypriot representative had immediately expressed his country’s opposition, cutting short any discussion.
The High Representative said that the subject would now be discussed by the Heads of State and Government on 24 and 25 September. He hoped that they would succeed in adopting political guidelines so that, at the next Foreign Affairs Council, scheduled for 12 October, the sanctions could finally be adopted.
Even if that means making it personal. “I will do everything I can to ensure that the next Council adopts sanctions, this becomes a personal commitment”, he told the media, believing that the EU’s credibility depended on it.
Several ministers expressed their frustration at the lack of consensus at the end of the meeting.
“It is regrettable that today we could not decide on sanctions for human rights violations [in Belarus], due to a ‘hostage-taking’ by a Member State. This sends the wrong signal to the Belarusians, to our societies and to the whole world”, denounced Latvian Edgars Rinkēvičs.
Describing the situation as “very frustrating”, his Finnish counterpart, Pekka Haavisto, said he was prepared to use qualified majority voting to get the sanctions adopted.
No unanimity to sanction Mr Lukashenko
According to several European diplomats, some 40 names are currently on the list of sanctions that the EU could adopt. There is still one unknown hold-out in the imposition of measures against Alexander Lukashenko.
While on his arrival the German minister said that Europeans should ask themselves “whether the sanctions should be applied only to those responsible for electoral fraud and oppression or also to Mr Lukashenko, the main culprit”, at the end of the Council, Mr Borrell said that the discussion was continuing on this subject.
“It’s a question of tactics, of scaling, of going step by step”, he explained, adding that there was no agreement yet. According to Spanish minister Arancha González Laya, this issue could be discussed by European leaders.
Before media, the High Representative reiterated the EU’s view that the election had been falsified and therefore did not recognise its result or the legitimacy of Mr Lukashenko.
As a result, there will be a limitation of relations and “the European External Action Service and the European Commission are working to review our relations from the moment he takes power on the basis of a rigged election” on 6 November, he warned. According to Mr Borrell, this will also have consequences for the Eastern Partnership and high-level relations.
Conversely, “we support the Belarusian people, their democratic aspirations and their call for new free and fair elections under the auspices of the OSCE”, Mr Borrell said. He said that the heads of diplomacy had discussed relations with Belarus and additional financial support for civil society and independent media.
Asked about a possible economic package for a post-Lukashenko Belarus, Mr Borrell said ministers had not discussed such a plan, but that the country would need substantial help to “overcome this very difficult situation”.
Belarusian opposition calls for EU assistance
The Belarusian opposition, including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in her speech to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, asked for EU assistance. Ms Tsikhanouskaya had met with the foreign ministers early in the morning.
“We are united, we are unified, because our future is at stake, we are asking you to stand shoulder to shoulder with our citizens, we need your help”, she explained, adding that the Belarusians would continue “for weeks, months, years” if necessary. According to the political opponent, in the face of Mr Lukashenko’s refusal to engage in dialogue, “any help from European or other neighbouring countries is very important”, adding that it was only with the help of international society that the Belarusians would win their battle for democracy.
Ms Tsikhanouskaya called for support for civil society to “enable it to organise itself and to face the regime’s repression”. The opposition also called on the EU to stop funding the regime or organisations close to the regime and to work with the opposition “towards a free, fair and transparent electoral process according to international standards and with local and international observers”.
Another political opponent, Olga Kovalkova, called on the EU to prepare “a form of aid for a democratic Belarus” in order to avoid an economic crisis. She also called for an “immediate [response] to human rights violations”. “There must be specific measures for those who are guilty of these acts and for the companies that speak for the regime”, she said.
Opponent Pavel Latushka, a refugee in Poland, for his part, wanted the Europeans to take a “clear position” so that the 250 political prisoners could be released. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)