Live Updates: EU Threatens Belarus With Reprisals After Ryanair Flight's Emergency Landing in Minsk

A commission to investigate the Ryanair aircraft emergency landing in Minsk was created in Belarus, the circumstances of the incident will be made public in the near future, a spokesman for the aviation department of the Belarusian Transport Ministry told Sputnik on Monday.

"A commission of inquiry was set up in the aviation department. All the circumstances will be made public in the near future," the spokesman said.

Lithuania will make effort in cooperation with its foreign partners to attain the closure of the Belarusian airspace for international flights following the emergency landing of the Ryanair aircraft, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Monday.

"We will work with our international partners to close the Belarusian airspace for international flights," Simonyte said in a videoaddress.

The Lithuanian prime minister qualified the incident as an attack against her country, and a signal to the European Union and international organizations.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called on Monday for an international investigation into the Ryanair plane emergency landing in the Belarusian capital of Minsk and noted that the bloc would consider taking measures against those responsible.

"In carrying out this coercive act, the Belarusian authorities have jeopardised the safety of passengers and crew. An international investigation into this incident must be carried out to ascertain any breach of international aviation rules. This situation will be raised at the upcoming meeting of the European Council. The EU will consider the consequences of this action, including taking measures against those responsible," Borrell said, as quoted in a press release by the Council of the European Union.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez and his counterparts in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Germany, Lithuania, Ireland, Poland, and the United Kingdom have issued a joint statement calling for a ban on all overflight of Belarus over the Ryanair plane incident.

"We, the chairs of our respective national parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committees, condemn unequivocally the threat of violence used against a civilian aircraft in the skies over Belarus. Using fighter aircraft to intercept a civilian Ryanair flight is an act of piracy on a route between two NATO and EU countries. This reckless act put the passengers and crew in grave danger," the Sunday statement says.

Menendez and his counterparts called for an immediate inquiry of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) into the Ryanair plane emergency landing in Minsk.

"Until ICAO has reported, we call for Belarus to be suspended from the organization and a ban on all overflight of Belarus including flights to and from the country. It is clear that the current administration in Minsk has no respect for the safety of our citizens and cannot be trusted to defend their rights. This act of state terror and kidnapping is a threat to all those who travel in Europe and beyond," Menendez said.

The foreign relations committee chairman and his counterparts called on NATO and the EU to impose sanctions on Minsk and demanded the immediate release of Roman Protasevich, the founder of a Telegram channel that Minsk has designated as extremist.

We strongly condemn the Lukashenka regime's brazen and shocking act to divert a commercial flight and arrest a journalist. We demand an international investigation and are coordinating with our partners on next steps. The United States stands with the people of Belarus.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 23, 2021

MINSK (Sputnik) - Pavel Latushko, a member of the Belarusian opposition coordination council, is calling for the closure of the Belarusian airspace for the duration of an investigation into the Ryanair plane emergency landing in Minsk.

"We are holding consultations with the Foreign Ministries of the European Union countries, as well as with the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO, the European organization of international air carriers IATA [International Air Transport Association]. We believe it is important to stop international air traffic over the territory of Belarus for the duration of the investigation, to temporarily ban the possibility of overflight of Belarusian government and military aircraft over the territory of European countries," Latushko said on Telegram.

He also called for the broadening of international sanctions against Minsk, something that the Belarusian opposition has been calling for since incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko secured his sixth term in office in the August 2020 election.

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on Sunday said that he discussed the Ryanair incident with the United States.

"During the conversation it was discussed that the unprecedented event must meet a strong transatlantic response," the minister stated.

The outrageous and illegal behaviour of the regime in Belarus will have consequences.

Those responsible for the #Ryanair hijacking must be sanctioned.

Journalist Roman Protasevich must be released immediately.

EUCO will discuss tomorrow action to take.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 23, 2021

MINSK (Sputnik) - The search for explosives on board the Ryanair aircraft that made an urgent landing in Minsk over the bomb threat took more than two hours, senior engineer at the Belarusian bomb disposal squad said on Sunday.

"It took 2-2.5 hours of work ... An explosive device could have been placed in the luggage. It could also be hidden in the hand luggage left in the cabin. So the entire plane was inspected inside and out, including the luggage compartment, sniffer dogs searched the luggage," an anonymous officer told the Belarus 1 broadcaster.

Earlier in the day, Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated that he requested to include the issue of immediate sanctions on Belarus in the meeting's agenda, including banning Belarusian carriers from the EU airspace.

On Sunday, the press service of the Minsk National Airport told Sputnik that a Ryanair plane en route from Athens to Vilnius had to make an emergency landing in Minsk over a bomb threat, which later turned out to be fake. A fighter jet was deployed to escort the plane. It was reported later that Roman Protasevich, founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, tagged as extremist by Minsk, was detained during the stopover at the airport. He may face up to 15 years in jail.

The plane was cleared for take off from Minsk on Sunday evening and arrived in Vilnius at 18:27 GMT. The Minsk airport insisted that the decision to land in Belarus was made by the Ryanair captain and according to the international law.

Lithuanian airspace. https://t.co/AuHwz5Weru pic.twitter.com/78B1Mytbti

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) May 23, 2021

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned on Sunday that the incident with the forced landing of the Ryanair plane in Minsk will entail "clear consequences" from the EU and noted that the incident was "a serious encroachment on European civil aviation."

Earlier on Sunday, the press service of the Minsk National Airport told Sputnik that a Ryanair plane en route from Athens to Vilnius had to make an emergency landing in Minsk over a bomb threat, which later turned out to be fake. A fighter jet was deployed to escort the plane. It was reported later that Roman Protasevich, founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, tagged as extremist by Minsk, was detained during the stopover at the airport. The plane was cleared for take-off from Minsk on Sunday evening and departed to Vilnius.

"The fact that the plane travelling between two EU countries was forced to make a stopover under the pretext of a bomb threat is a serious encroachment on civil aviation in Europe. We are very concerned about reports that journalist Roman Protasevich was detained this way," Maas tweeted.

He noted that the incident will not be ignored and will have "clear consequences from the European Union." Maas stressed that the incident will be discussed at the upcoming EU summit and that Germany is currently in contact with its EU partners concerning the matter.

An official statement circulated by the German foreign ministry further condemned the detention of Protasevich and demanded his immediate release.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) expressed concerns on Sunday over the alleged forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk, which could have violated the Chicago Convention.

"ICAO is strongly concerned by the apparent forced landing of a Ryanair flight and its passengers, which could be in contravention of the Chicago Convention. We look forward to more information being officially confirmed by the countries and operators concerned," the organization tweeted.

The Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, entered into force in 1947. It establishes the basic principles that enable international air transport.

Earlier on Sunday, the press service of the Minsk National Airport told Sputnik that a Ryanair plane en route from Athens to Vilnius had to make an emergency landing in Minsk over a bomb threat, which later turned out to be fake. A fighter jet was deployed to escort the plane. It was reported later that Roman Protasevich, founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, tagged as extremist by Minsk, was detained during the stopover at the airport.

The plane was cleared for take off from Minsk on Sunday evening and arrived in Vilnius at 18:27 GMT. The Minsk airport insisted that the decision to land in Belarus was made by the Ryanair captain and according to the international law.

The decision to make an emergency landing at the Minsk airport over a bomb threat was made by the pilot in command of the Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Vilnius, the shift chief at the Minsk airport Maxim Kiyakov said on Sunday.

"Under the international guidelines, Minsk was the nearest airport, and according to these rules, the captain decided to land here. That is, it was the decision of the plane captain," Kiyakov told ONT broadcaster.

According to the ministry, out of 171 passengers on board the place, 11 were Greek citizens.

Greece further condemned the forced landing of the place, calling it an "act of state air piracy," and demanded the release of Protasevich and the aircraft, so that it can continue to its final destination. The Minsk airport confirmed that the plane took off and headed for Vilnius.