The European Union is making the same mistake by returning to the policy of sanctions against Belarus. This statement has been made by the Permanent Commission for International Affairs and Links with the CIS of the House of Representatives of Belarus following the recent resolutions on Belarus of the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. The statement is available on the official website of the House of Representatives.
The members of the commission “regret the recent decisions on Belarus adopted by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament”.
“The European Union repeats its mistakes. Sanctions, just like any kind of power politics, is absolutely useless against the Republic of Belarus,” the MPs are convinced.
They believe that by imposing restrictions against Belarusian officials the Council of the European Union is forcing Belarus to do things that directly violate the integrity and independence of investigation and legal proceedings. Apart from that, the extension of visa restrictions to members of law enforcement bodies is the direct interference with the work of the court system of the sovereign state and a blatant attempt to intervene in the domestic affairs of our country, the members of the House of Representatives said. “This is a flagrant violation of the basic principles of the international law, and the fundamental principles of any democratic, law-based state,” the statement reads.
Belarusian MPs consider that in light of intensive integration processes in the European educational space, it is absurd that the EU included heads of some Belarusian universities in its travel ban list.
MPs drew attention to the fact that the European Parliament resolution on the situation in Belarus of 10 March 2011 contains “the approaches based on double standards, stereotypes, and arbitrary interpretation of facts.” “The demagogic and unfounded nature of accusations made by the European Parliament is particularly evident in the face of openness exhibited by the Belarusian side. This is evidenced by the invitation extended to the OSCE experts to monitor the court proceedings over the organizers and participants of the riots, which have never been closed to the public,” reads the statement.
According to the House of Representatives, the cooperation between Belarus and the EU is diverse and encompasses a variety of activities of mutual interest. Therefore, any restrictive actions, attempts to isolate Belarus will eventually hurt both sides. “Only dialogue and the search for mutual understanding are the only right way and a reliable instrument for solving problems,” Belarusian MPs are confident.
