Deputy FM hopes for lifting sanctions on Belarus officials: EU to fall into the same trap?
Belarus really hopes that another round of consultations will be held in the nearest future to discuss the matters that are truly important for the country, Deputy Foreign Minister Alena Kupchyna said during her working visit to Slovenia.
According to Mrs Kupchyna, in November, 2013 Belarus expressed readiness to engage in talks on two agreements with the EU: on liberalisation of visa formalities and on readmission. In June 2014 one round of these talks took place in Minsk. But despite of ‘a series of very constructive, interesting suggestions’ made by the Belarusian side the country has not received an answer from the EU, Mrs Kupchyna noted.
When asked about the visa sanctions against Belarusian citizens, the Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that Belarus ‘strongly condemns’ such measures.
“We understand that they – these sanctions – are the major obstacle in our relations with the European Union. If we could lift them, I am sure our cooperation with the EU and individual EU member states would soon reach a brand new level. I see the increasing understanding of it in European countries and among their political circles,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes the top official as saying.
More than 200 Belarusian citizens, including President Aliaksandr Lukashenka and his sons Viktar and Dzmitry, are currently subject to travel bans and several dozens of business entities are subject to asset freezes within the EU.
At that, Belarus has a strong lead in receiving Schengen visas. In 2013 over 777,000 visas were granted to the citizens of our country.
