Brussels, Feb 15 (CTK correspondent) – Prague supports the lifting of most sanctions against Belarus the EU had imposed on it over its past developments, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said before a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday.
At the end of last October, the validity of most of the measures was discontinued till the end of this February.
Belarus is facing a rather difficult economic situation and it is ready to intensify its cooperation with the EU, Zaoralek said.
“When looking at the developments in the past period, there was no worsening in the sphere of human rights in Belarus,” Zaoralek said.
“It is up to the EU to react to the positive developments in a relevant way,” he added.
Zaoralek said the EU should make an accommodating gesture towards Belarus.
He said due to the unfavourable economic developments in Russia, Belarus’ strong link with its eastern neighbour frustrated its prospects.
This is another reason for the EU to start intensifying cooperation with Belarus, though on clearly set conditions, said Zaoralek, adding that he would like to visit Minsk soon.
At the end of last October, the EU decided to discontinue the sanctions until February 29, 2016. They had frozen the property of and banned 170 senior officials of President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime travelling to the EU.
The freezing of the European property of three Belarusian companies was suspended, too.
Now this type of sanctions may be definitively lifted.
However, the arms embargo and measures against four persons implicated in the disappearance of opposition representatives in Belarus are to be still in force.
