The EU Imposes Sanctions against Representatives of Belarus and Russia
12 October 2020 News.jpg)
Deputy Prime Minister for Judicial Reform and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva took part in today’s regular session of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels in Luxembourg. The top items on the agenda were the situation in Belarus, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the EU-Russia relations.
A political decision for imposing sanctions against representatives of Belarus (for continued violence against peaceful protesters) and Russia (for the poisoning of Alexei Navalny) was taken; effective sanctions for chemical weapons and because of the situation in Nicaragua were extended too.
The agenda of the EU ministers of foreign affairs was launched with a working breakfast with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at which the strengthening of relations between the EU and Saudi Arabia was discussed, including in connection with human rights, regional and international issues, the security in the Gulf and the situation in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, the normalisation of the relations of Israel with some Arab states, the regional role of Turkey, the Saudi G20 presidency and the addressing of the social and economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taking up the discussion from the previous session, the ministers adopted Conclusions of the Council on Belarus reiterating that the August 9, 2020 presidential elections lacked legitimacy. A firm call for immediate stop of violence against protesters, release of political prisoners and launching of a solid and broad-based political process for organising new, free and fair elections in the country was expressed. In absence of progress, the ministers underlined the readiness of the EU to impose additional restrictive measures on the relevant persons in charge, including President Alexander Lukashenko. The relations with Belarus were reviewed to identify areas of selective engagement and strengthening the support of the EU for the civil society.
The EU Special Representative for normalisation of the relations between Serbia and Kosovo Miroslav Lajcak briefed the Council on the current status of the process. The ministers acclaimed the resumption of dialogue and the progress achieved to date and highlighted the need to preserve the key role of the EU in the process of normalisation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue until a comprehensive legally binding agreement consistent with the European values and interest was reached. The importance of coordination with the USA was pointed out. Also, the strong commitment of the EU with respect to the Western Balkans region as a whole was reaffirmed.
It is necessary that both sides – Kosovo and Serbia – demonstrate the relevant responsibility for the achievement of lasting results as the absence of dialogue had a destabilising effect on the entire region, Ekaterina Zaharieva noted.
The ministers had an extensive discussion on the EU-Russia relations, reinstating the validity of the five key principles for engagement with Moscow endorsed in March 2016. They expressed concern over the intensified negative dynamics in the relations due to the failure on the Russian part to fulfil the Minsk Protocol in connection with the conflict in East Ukraine, the active Russian disinformation activities in the neighbourhood, the continued worsening of the situation with human rights and the increasingly shrinking domain of civil society. The Council categorically condemned the attempted murder through poisoning of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the former taking a political decision on EU response in terms of sanctions.
In continuation of the July 2020 discussion on the support of the EU for Latin America and the Caribbean to fight COVID-19, the ministers discussed the long-term relations with the region and the potential to deepen them on the basis of shared values.
During the working lunch the ministers exchanged ideas for reinforcement of the role of the EU in upholding effective multilateral cooperation and undertaking of concrete steps to promote rule-based international order. They concurred on the view that the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic more than ever required strengthened cooperation of the international community in the framework of an effective multilateral system with the central role of the UN. The discussion set the beginning of a process of elaborating a strategic thematic document of the EU to be adopted in 2021.
The ministers expressed intense concern over the escalation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, the loss of life, civilian lives included, and the serious risks of regional destabilisation. They noted the armistice agreement reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan and insisted on its enforcement by means of immediate ceasing of any hostile actions. The foreign ministers of the EU reaffirmed their support for the diplomatic efforts of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group (France, the USA and Russia) as the only format for negotiations endorsed by the international community to settle the conflict.
During the session a brief review of the situation in Mozambique, Kirgizstan, and Venezuela, along with the outcomes of the EU-Ukraine Summit was made. The ministers expressed even deeper concern over the partial opening of Varosha Beach in Famagusta announced on the part of the authorities of the so called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, pointing out that this act further impeded the diplomatic efforts to deescalate the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean and the prospects of resumption of negotiations to resolve the Cyprus issue.
In the framework of the Council, Deputy Prime Minister Zaharieva had bilateral meetings with her colleagues from Germany – Heiko Maas, and from Greece – Nikos Dendias, at which a broad range of European and regional questions were discussed.
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