Sanctions are used as a tool of foreign policy by many governments. This month such restrictions were imposed on Belarus in order to force Belarus leader Alexsandr Lukashenko to leave office. Political and economic situation in this country has been remaining complex for about two months since the Presidential elections in August.
The U.S. and EU leaders say they do not recognize Belarus’ election result though the vote was not monitored by OSCE PA or any other international observers.
It should be said that OSCE PA President George Tsereteli and Secretary General Roberto Montella discussed the upcoming election with Head of the Belarusian OSCE PA Delegation Anderei Savinykh in an informal online meeting on 26 June.
OSCE PA leaders informed the Belarusian side that the PA had decided that it would not observe any elections until the autumn, at the earliest, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Probably, this decision was a big mistake and OSCE now has no real proof of violating voters’ rights in Belarus.
In spite of this, the EU rejected the official results of the August 9 presidential election which credited Lukashenko and tries to force him to leave. For this purpose EU agrees sanctions on 40 officials during an EU Council summit on Oct. 1, 2020.
Since foreign policy decisions are at least arguably for the good of the entire country, the cost of paying for them should be borne by the politicians and not by any entrepreneurs or particular group of people who were not lucky to have business ties with neighbouring Belarus. Belarus blacklisted officials do not suffer very much from imposed sanctions while Lithuanians entrepreneurs and Lithuanian economy will lose real money.
Read more: Baltics imposed sanctions on themselves | The Baltic Word
The U.S. and EU leaders say they do not recognize Belarus’ election result though the vote was not monitored by OSCE PA or any other international observers.
It should be said that OSCE PA President George Tsereteli and Secretary General Roberto Montella discussed the upcoming election with Head of the Belarusian OSCE PA Delegation Anderei Savinykh in an informal online meeting on 26 June.
OSCE PA leaders informed the Belarusian side that the PA had decided that it would not observe any elections until the autumn, at the earliest, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Probably, this decision was a big mistake and OSCE now has no real proof of violating voters’ rights in Belarus.
In spite of this, the EU rejected the official results of the August 9 presidential election which credited Lukashenko and tries to force him to leave. For this purpose EU agrees sanctions on 40 officials during an EU Council summit on Oct. 1, 2020.
Since foreign policy decisions are at least arguably for the good of the entire country, the cost of paying for them should be borne by the politicians and not by any entrepreneurs or particular group of people who were not lucky to have business ties with neighbouring Belarus. Belarus blacklisted officials do not suffer very much from imposed sanctions while Lithuanians entrepreneurs and Lithuanian economy will lose real money.
Read more: Baltics imposed sanctions on themselves | The Baltic Word
