MINSK, 6 December (BelTA) –Another package of EU sanctions against Belarus came as a surprise even for some EU foreign ministers, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said in an interview with the Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"When meeting with a number of colleagues, they were surprised to learn that the EU was going to impose sanctions that day. They say that ‘we have not yet discussed it at our level, at the level of foreign ministers'," Vladimir Makei said.
He stated that, unfortunately, the European Union has a complex bureaucratic mechanism when, relatively speaking, the transport department can impose its sanctions, and the political department - its own. "Therefore, in any case, the decision [to introduce another package of sanctions against Belarus] which was adopted by the European Union was accompanied by some discussion, but, as my communication with colleagues shows, firstly, not everyone agreed with this move, and, secondly, not everyone had a clear idea that these sanctions would be imposed on 2 December," the minister said.
According to him, many share the opinion which Belarus expressed at the OSCE Ministerial Council that no one will ever achieve their goals through the sanctions confrontation. "Not all of them but many. Sensible colleagues have an understanding, as I said, that we should try to find ways of communication that will allow us to get out of this situation. Because in the end, no one wins," the minister said.
