EU foreign policy chief links lifting of sanctions to democratic elections in Belarus

December 11, Pozirk. Belarus will not be represented at the European Union’s foreign ministers meeting with their Eastern Partnership counterparts on December 11, top EU diplomat Josep Borrel told Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja yesterday.
The EU does “not recognize those who steal elections and repress their population. That’s what [Alaksandar] Łukašenka has done, he stole elections and represses the Belarusian people,” he stressed at their meeting in Brussels.
“We are working closely and are very much aware of the increasingly difficult situation in the country,” the European External Action Service’s (EEAS) press office quoted him as saying. “I am sure that the Ministers will be very keen to hear from you, dear Śviatłana, your assessment of the situation.”
The EU will keep sanctioning Belarus’ authorities and supporting the pro-democracy forces and civil society until Belarus holds democratic elections of its authorities that would represent all Belarusians, he stressed.
Borrel also noted that additional aid of €30 million to the Belarusian civil society and opposition took the total amount of EU assistance to €140 million since 2020.
- Politics, SecurityPolice, investigators, emergency units trained to defend industrial sites, secure “hostile positions”The material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyBelarus border guards thwart two drug smuggling attemptsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Security, SocietyMan arrested in Poland for attacking elderly Belarusian taxi driver over his accentThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBelarus’ employed workforce declined slightly in June, according to official dataThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- EconomyDomestic manufactures accounted for 60.6 percent of new car sales in first seven months, Association saysThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBelarus ranks eighth in price growth among post-Soviet countries in January-JulyThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, Security, SocietyAttempts at irregular entry from Belarus into EU countries hit three-week low on August 24The material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarus’ top diplomat, Serbia's envoy reaffirm commitment to dialogueThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyPoland arrests Belarusian in $813,000 cigarette smuggling caseThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, SocietyLabor productivity rises 1.1 percent, real pay 7.5 percent in H1The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- Politics, SecurityBelarus launches 17-day air defense drillThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- PoliticsŁukašenka announces upcoming meeting with PutinThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCichanoŭskaja plays up value of independence in anniversary messageThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- PoliticsZelensky to Cichanoŭskaja: Europe cannot afford to lose any nation seeking real independenceThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SocietyNew “extremist” designations, politically motivated arrest reported in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBiełstat: pre-tax monthly pay up 2.2 percent in JulyThe material is available only to POZIRK+


