Media: Cyprus does not allow the European Union to impose sanctions against Belarus

On September 9, President of the European Council Charles Michel called on EU countries to speed up the introduction of sanctions against Belarus. AFP sources indicate that an agreement on the sanctions can only be reached after the next meeting of foreign ministers on September 21.

Bloomberg writes that Cyprus is blocking the sanctions adopted by the European Union against Minsk in connection with the attitude of Brussels to the tensions between Nicosia and Ankara. The island state refused to agree on measures against Belarus, seeking inclusion in the EU restrictive lists of seven Turkish companies that had previously participated in gas production in the economic zone of Cyprus in the Mediterranean. For the adoption of sanctions, the approval of all 27 member countries of the association is required.

Earlier, the European Union also announced its intention to impose sanctions against 31 high-ranking Belarusian officials. The EU sanctions list included Belarusian Foreign Minister Yuri Karaev and his deputy, a member of the Belarusian CEC. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is not on the list.

The EU planned to introduce such measures after the elections of the head of Belarus, held on August 9. Western countries did not recognize the official results of the vote, according to which Lukashenka won. New elections - fair and transparent - are demanded by both the EU and the citizens of Belarus themselves, regularly staging protests.