EU to Discuss Possibility of Lifting All Sanctions Against Belarus

MINSK (Sputnik) — The European Union will discuss the possibility of lifting all remaining sanctions against Belarus, the country's Council of Ministers said Monday in a statement.

The statement was released after the delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Kalinin had visited Brussels last week. Kalinin held talks with the EU commissioners on transport and neighborhood policy.

According to the Belarus Council of Ministers, EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn, responsible for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, raised the issue of possible complete removal of sanctions.

"Mr. Hahn stressed that he would definitely discuss this issue with his colleagues — the European commissioners," the statement read.

As regards talks with EU's Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc, the parties agreed that all joint projects would be co-financed by the Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Belarus Belinvestbank.

The sanctions against Belarus were gradually imposed from 2002 to 2010. The most serious package of restrictions was adopted in 2010 after the presidential elections in Belarus and the authorities’ crackdown on a mass protest that followed. The West accused the Belarusian authorities of persecuting the political opposition and violating citizens’ basic rights and freedoms, in particular, the freedom of expression.

On February 15, the EU Foreign Affairs Council partially lifted sanctions against 170 Belarusian nationals and three companies. The Council, however, extended its arms embargo for 12 months and kept four Belarusians on its sanctions list.