European External Action Service spokeswoman Nabila Massrali on Tuesday 29 June underlined the EU’s regret at the Belarusian countermeasures against the EU announced the day before (see EUROPE 12750/19).
“The EU regrets the decision of the Lukashenko regime to suspend its participation in the Eastern Partnership framework”, she told EUROPE. According to her, this decision only serves to further isolate Belarus and “is yet another demonstration of the regime’s disregard for the Belarusian people, who benefit from the cooperation and various programmes as part of the Eastern Partnership”.
Ms Massrali said that the EU remained open to continuing to work with the people of Belarus in this context and would continue to support the Belarusian people and civil society and their democratic aspirations.
The EU also regrets the regime’s decision to launch the procedure for suspending the readmission agreement, which only entered into force last year. “While the EU has not yet received an official notification from the Belarusian side, we will already further reflect on the next steps”, explained an EU source.
Finally, by requesting that the head of the EU delegation to Belarus be recalled to Brussels for consultation, “the Belarusian authorities have taken another step to self-isolate”, said the spokesperson for the European External Action Service. She said that keeping communication channels open was crucial in times of crisis and that the EU has always had this intention.
In addition, an EU source warned on Tuesday that the EU could further increase pressure on the Belarusian regime, depending on the situation on the ground. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)