German Foreign Minister Haiko Maas said today that “the time has come for there to be consequences” for Belarus over the immigration crisis it is accused of orchestrating on Europe’s borders, extending EU sanctions against Minsk.
“In the current situation, the time has come for consequences. We want to do it together with our European partners,” Maas told the Bundestag.
The German Foreign Minister added that “the European Union will expand and strengthen its sanctions against the Lukashenko regime.”
Maas clarified that a decision in this direction will be taken on Monday at a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the 27 EU member states in Brussels.
Yesterday, Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “early next week there will be an extension of sanctions” against Minsk.
In addition to extending sanctions against figures close to Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, the German Foreign Minister has called for measures against “very important economic sectors, such as the potash industry”, a pillar of Belarus’ economy.
Belarus is the world’s second largest exporter of potash.
Maas also voiced the idea of imposing sanctions on airlines, mainly Belavia, which belongs to the Belarusian state, and on several travel agencies, which are accused of organizing the influx of refugees into the EU.
The EU has imposed sanctions on 166 Belarussian officials, including President Alexander Lukashenko and his two sons. These consist of the freezing of assets and a ban on entry into the EU.
Attempts by hundreds of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, to cross the border into Poland from Belarus since Monday have sparked a serious crisis.
Warsaw has deployed 15,000 troops in the area, in addition to police and border guards.
Europeans accuse the Belarusian president of knowingly orchestrating the situation, issuing visas to migrants for months and taking them to the border to avenge European sanctions.
In retaliation, Lukashenko said today that his country would respond to any new EU sanctions.
SOURCE: AMPE
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Source From: Capital
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