EU leaders to discuss sanctions against Belarus this week: Angela Merkel

On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the European Union leaders will discuss sanctions against Belarus this week. She said that the other issue is migration which has become much relevant for Poland, Lithuania, and Germany because of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, reported news agency Sputnik. EU foreign ministers are contemplating potential sanctions against Belarus' national airline over allegations that it is carrying migrants from Iraq in order to push them through the country's border and into the bloc.

Several ministries want EU-registered enterprises to stop leasing planes to Belavia, the country's state airline, according to a report by Euronews. The report further stated that this would make it illegal for European corporations to do business with the national carrier. The goal is to thwart the Minsk regime's aim to penetrate EU land borders by flying migrants to Belarus and allowing them to travel into Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

In June, the EU had imposed against the Belarusian regime in response to the intensification of gross human rights breaches in the country and the brutal persecution of civil society. In addition, sanctions were also imposed in response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk on May 23, 2021, and the subsequent detention of journalists Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega stated a release by the EU. The economic sanctions included a ban on selling, supplying, transferring, or exporting equipment, technology, or software intended primarily for use in the monitoring or interception of internet and telephone communications to specific persons, entities, or bodies in Belarus. Furthermore, the Belarusian government, public bodies and agencies were given limited access to EU capital markets, and providing insurance and reinsurance to them was also prohibited, the release added. 

Thousands of refugees travelled to Belarus in recent months

It should be mentioned here that earlier this month, the German government advocated for "humane" treatment of migrants at the European Union's external border with Belarus. According to a report by the Associated Press, thousands of refugees have travelled to Belarus in recent months in the hopes of crossing into Poland from Syria, Iraq, and other conflict-torn nations. Many also want to seek refuge in other EU nations, such as Germany. Meanwhile, human rights organisations have slammed Poland's handling of migrants, who are being driven back to Belarus despite deteriorating weather conditions, reported the news agency.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)