German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday called for economic sanctions against Belarus, ahead of an EU meeting to discuss further punitive measures after a plane forced landing in Minsk to stop a opponent.
“I think that further sanctions against Belarus are inevitable,” Maas said in an interview with Die Welt newspaper to be published on Monday.
“We should extend the sanctions to parts of the Belarusian economy, such as the potash industry or the energy sector. And we should deny the government in Minsk the possibility of raising funds within the EU by issuing government bonds, ”he added.
EU foreign ministers are due to meet in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss further measures to be taken following the flight diversion, the latest episode in a brutal crackdown on the opposition carried out for months by the government of President Alexander Lukashenko.
The ministers meeting in Luxembourg will discuss large-scale measures intended to hit the Lukashenko regime “in the portfolio”, a European diplomat told AFP on Friday.
They will also tighten restrictions on exports from the EU of arms and equipment that can be used to quell protesters, they added.
Belarusian strongman Lukashenko sparked international outrage by sending a fighter jet on May 23 to intercept a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania.
The plane was forced to land in Minsk and Belarusian authorities arrested a dissident journalist, Roman Protasevich, and his partner Sofia Sapega who were on board.
In response, the EU has already blocked Belarusian airlines from entering the Union and carriers from its 27 member states from using Belarusian airspace.
On Monday, EU ministers are also expected to approve sanctions on 80 Belarusian dignitaries (asset freeze, visa ban).
Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, has so far resisted the pressure thanks to the support of his main ally, Russia.
Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who claims to have legitimately won last year’s elections, will meet with EU foreign ministers ahead of their meeting on Monday.
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