Latvian and Lithuanian foreign affairs ministers Edgars Rinkēvičs and Gabrielius Landsbergis called on Monday 18 October for additional sanctions to be taken against the Belarusian regime, which continues to send migrants to European borders.
“We need to introduce stricter sanctions”, said Rinkēvičs upon his arrival at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, where he called for increased pressure to be placed on the regime. “It means put so-called tourism companies that are organising flights under sanctions. I also believe that we need to sanction (the Belarusian airline) Belavia fully, so that it cannot receive any kind of support”, he said.
Belavia is already banned from flying in the EU, yet it continues to lease aircraft to Member States, in particular Ireland.
Mr Rinkēvičs has called for a coordinated approach together with the US, Canada and the UK.
Stressing the fact that the migration issue was one of the EU’s “most pressing issues” – and comparing it to the 2015 crisis – he said that answers were needed “now”: Landsbergis also emphasised the need to end flights.
While the EU has stopped flights from Iraq, Jordan or Lebanon, according to the minister, there are also new destinations that are being served. In the opinion of Landsbergis, there is a need to further sanction Belavia and to warn airlines that take migrants to Belarus “that they are doing so under the radar of the EU and that what they are doing is not right”.
Ireland’s Simon Coveney said he was open to new sanctions targeting “those people who are clearly responsible for the exploitation of vulnerable persons”. However, he felt that a distinction should be made between new rentals of equipment and existing contracts. “Ireland wants to see an increase in sanctions that is practicable and implementable”, he said, while questioning the legal options for breaking an existing contract.
The High Representative of the Union supported further sanctions. “Making use of migrants for political purposes is not acceptable and we will look at appropriate responses”, he warned, adding that in the meantime the EU was working with the countries of departure. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)