MINSK, 28 January (BelTA) – The decisions of Brussels and Vilnius regarding the operation of Belarus sanatorium in Druskininkai is the height of hypocrisy and double standards, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei told reporters at the session of the CIS Council of Permanent Plenipotentiaries in statutory and other bodies of the Commonwealth of Independent States on 28 January, BelTA has learned.
According to the minister, the Belarusian side keeps closely monitoring the situation. “Some time ago, when our European partners started contemplating sanctions against Belarus, they made it clear that these sanctions should not affect ordinary people, people of Belarus, citizens of other countries. What do we see today? These 350 people, citizens of Lithuania, were deprived of their rights,” Vladimir Makei noted.
He added that the sanatorium struggled to pay its employees their salaries for December, and now these people are told to find a new job - in a town of 12,000, where 2,000 people are already unemployed. “For me, this is the height of hypocrisy and double standards: on the one hand, they declare the need to protect human rights, on the other hand, decisions are made to make life harder for ordinary people, and thus allegedly turn people against the authorities in Belarus. It is an absolutely hypocritical and two-faced approach,” the minister emphasized.
“The Belarusian ‘touring company” who is traveling around European cities and towns, calls for new sanctions against the country and Belarusian people. When this situation with the sanatorium in Druskininkai arose, they immediately tried to distance themselves: “No, the Belarusian authorities are to blame, we have nothing to do with it.” The theater of the absurd,” Vladimir Makei said describing their actions.
He also condemned attempts of outright lies on the part of the neighboring country. According to Lithuania, the sanatorium did not work last year due to the pandemic. However, the minister said that 8,000 people underwent recuperation there, including 1,500 children, among whom almost 200 children were disabled.
Vladimir Makei once again emphasized that the Belarusian side is not going to leave the staff of the sanatorium to their fate and is working to resolve the situation. However, this is hampered by some circumstances: Brussels declares that these issues should be addressed in a bilateral format with Vilnius, while Lithuania refers to the decisions of the European Union. “Here it is, the concern for human rights in action,” the minister concluded.
