MINSK, 22 May (BelTA) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the introduction of additional restrictions on certain imports to Belarus originating from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia and Estonia, BelTA has learned.
“The Belarusian government was forced to introduce the measures in response to the systemic unfriendly actions by the European Union and a number of the most aggressive EU countries against the Republic of Belarus. The government imposed a ban on certain imports from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Estonia, including beverages, cosmetics, tableware, textiles and footwear. This decision does not apply to goods imported for personal use,” the ministry said.
The ministry noted that Belarus greatly regrets the ongoing efforts by these EU countries to spearhead the West’s anti-Belarus agenda.
“The policy towards the destruction of friendly ties between the peoples of our countries, the continuous introduction of new restrictions and the dissemination of misinformation about the real situation in Belarus defies explanation. These are not just economic restrictions. We are talking about restrictions on the freedom of movement of people and goods, bans on the payment of pensions and child support, illegal confiscation of goods and freezing of assets through loose interpretation of sanctions, threats to nationalize Belarusian state property. These also include the preparation of militants and scenarios of an unconstitutional coup in our country with the use of force, restrictions on the broadcasting of Belarusian mass media, launch of criminal cases against their own citizens who speak favorably of Belarus,” the ministry noted.
“This list can be continued. All this bacchanalia happens with the tacit consent of the majority of the EU member states who simply sign yet another anti-Belarusian escapades prepared by ‘recognized experts on Belarus’ from Vilnius and Warsaw and now also from Riga, Prague and Tallinn. All this is presented under the guise of the fight for democracy and support for the Belarusian pseudo-democratic forces that have long started to annoy the Belarusian society. Whenever these countries fail to push through the most odious initiatives against Belarus, they adopt them at the national level and then they wear Brussels down. These initiatives, by the way, do not meet the interests of the EU member states themselves,” the ministry said.
The ministry repeatedly dismissed sanctions as futile. Belarus hopes that the EU countries will start to assess soberly and carefully the information from their partners about the alleged threats emanating from Belarus and will come to an understanding that resuming dialogue with Minsk has no alternative as this meets the interests of stability and security of the entire region.
