Belarus – Q&A from the press briefing (4 September 2020)

Q: Can you confirm the report in Die Welt stating that France, Germany and Italy had opposed the idea of imposing EU sanctions against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko? Why was such a decision taken?

A: As the Minister reminded you, the EU foreign ministers, followed by the heads of state and government, had an emergency meeting on this topic in August and decided to impose sanctions on Belarusian officials implicated in voter fraud and internal crackdowns.

We hope these targeted sanctions will be adopted as swiftly as possible.

European institutions and member states are working on them, and the EU will make the content of these measures public in due time.

These measures must contribute to the establishment of an inclusive national dialogue in Belarus, which is urgent and vital to achieving a peaceful solution.