MINSK, 28 February (BelTA) - New criminal cases might be opened against the people initiating the illegal restrictive measures against Belarus, the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told BelTA.
"The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has studied the carbon-copy statements by the European Union and individual member states in connection with the elections held recently in the country. We took note of the latest conclusions by the EU Council and the decision to extend the illegal sanctions,” the ministry said. “All these statements with the pre-prepared conclusions do not contain anything new. We view them as the ongoing unsuccessful campaign to interfere in the internal affairs of our country."
"The new illegal restrictive measures that are being imposed on Belarus will be studied by the law enforcement agencies and can become a legitimate basis for opening new criminal cases against the people who initiated them, including those already convicted of similar crimes but still hiding abroad evading serving their sentences," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed.
“We legitimately reject the constant desire of politicians and bureaucrats of the European Union to give their assessments of the political processes in Belarus, in particular, the recent elections. We emphasize that it is the Belarusian people that have the sovereign right to govern their state. The Belarusian people have enough experience, knowledge and wisdom to independently determine the forms of people's power, and do not need intrusive advice and recipes,” the ministry’s statement reads. “Aren’t the amendments to the Constitution that take into account the opinion of broad segments of society and the formation of the Belarusian People's Congress an ‘inclusive dialogue’, which is so insistently demanded from us?”
The ministry recalled that Belarus invited the observation missions from the CIS and SCO countries, comprising representatives of almost 20 states, to monitor the recent elections. Individual observers from Western European countries also observed the elections in the country.
“Both foreign and domestic observers, more than 40,000 people in total, recognized that the election campaign was held in compliance with the Belarusian legislation,” the ministry stressed.
It is noteworthy that both the CIS and the SCO have uniform documents regulating international election observation. These documents were agreed upon by all member states. Belarus has been a member of the CIS since its establishment and plans to become a full member of the SCO in the near future.
“We are ready to work on developing uniform electoral standards for all European countries in the OSCE format based on equality and mutual respect. Proposals on these standards that were put forward by Belarus and Russia have been rejected by Western countries,” the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted.
In conclusion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that the true goal of the latest statements and moves of the European Union is to make life harder for Belarusians, to restrict their freedom of movement, to weaken the economic sovereignty of Belarus. However, this goal has not been achieved.
“Instead of returning to an equal dialogue with a view to restoring trust and ensuring security in the region, the European Union proceeds with a futile and dangerous policy of confrontation, exacerbating the already fragile situation on the continent. We can only hope that following 2024 elections, Brussels will get more responsible and sensible politicians who will be able to return to pragmatic approach in relations with their neighbors,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added.
