The Belarusian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday 28 June a package of measures against the EU in retaliation for the “unprecedented restrictive measures” it has adopted against the country (see EUROPE 12749/12).
For example, Belarus has decided to suspend its participation in the Eastern Partnership. A suspension which, according to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, “will lead to a further escalation of tensions and will have a clear negative impact on the people of Belarus by depriving them of the opportunities offered by our cooperation”.
Minsk also announced to that it was starting the procedure of suspending the readmission agreement with the EU. “We cannot fulfil our obligations under this agreement under the conditions of the sanctions and restrictions imposed by the European Union”, the ministry explained.
Similarly, while the Belarusian permanent representative to the EU was recalled to Minsk for consultations, the head of the EU delegation in Minsk, Dirk Schuebel, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Monday 28 June and “invited to Brussels for consultations in order to convey to its leadership the position of the Belarusian side on the unacceptability of pressure and sanctions”.
Finally, Belarus has banned “representatives of European structures and persons from EU countries who have contributed to the introduction of restrictive measures” from entering the country, without giving further details.
“The Belarusian side continues to develop other response measures, including those of an economic nature”, the ministry also warns.
The latter hopes that EU officials and its Member States are aware of the “ineffectiveness and futility of decisions to use a heavy-handed approach in relations” with Minsk.
When asked about these announcements, the spokespersons of the European Commission and the European External Action Service in charge of the file had not yet reacted at the time of going to press. See the conclusions: https://bit.ly/3dcz64q (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)