MINSK, 6 July (BelTA) – The use of sanctions to put pressure on a sovereign state is lawlessness and blackmail on an international scale, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting to discuss response to sanctions on 6 July, BelTA has learned.
“Today we will discuss our response to the restrictive measures of the collective West in relation to our country. We should outline a strategy that will minimize their impact and keep us going. I have already said that there should not be any economic slowdown or downturn. This is out of the question. A war is going on,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The head of state noted that sanctions remain the most prominent story for media projects and prompt adoption of various political declarations and legal acts. “However, these decisions have nothing to do with the legal system. In fact, the use of restrictive measures as an instrument to put pressure on a sovereign state is lawlessness and blackmail on an international scale. I remind you that blackmailing is condemned in the documents of the UN and other international organizations as an unacceptable measure,” the president noted.
“The fact that another package of sanctions against Belarus was introduced on the day marking the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War is incomprehensible. It can be explained by the fact that ‘democratic' Europe advocating for the rule of law does not care about the people who suffered the most from the barbaric and inhumane invasion of European fascism, and does not bother about observing at least some decencies. Everything is clear: they have embarked on a new march to the East. This does not need extensive evidence. Sanctions were imposed not only on us. Even larger, more sensitive sanctions were introduced against the Russian Federation,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
According to the head of state, the Ryanair plane landing in Minsk was only a formal reason for sanctions. “It is as clear as day,” the president added.
