Minsk calls on EU to lift remaining Belarus sanctions

Belarus is urging the European Union to lift the remaining restrictions imposed on Belarus’ representatives, Belarusian Minister for Foreign Affairs Uladzimir Makei said at a meeting with the EU Ambassadors on Eastern Partnership on May 22 in Minsk

"We regret that the European Union in February prolonged the restrictions imposed on Belarus. The measures no longer have a rational explanation. Hence, we keep urging the European Union to lift the remaining restrictions,” BELTA state news agency quotes the Foreign Minister as saying.

The positive cooperation of the past few years have brought much more good results than the two decades of sanctions, Makei stressed. The removal of sports weapons from the arms embargo could be a step towards the lifting of the remaining sanctions, he noted. 

Furthermore, the Foreign Minister welcomed the European Union’s intention to expand relations with Belarus and to put them on a structural basis.