V4 foreign ministers urge Borrell to act swiftly on Belarus sanctions

Referring to the European Union decision to impose further sanctions on a wider group of people in Belarus in connection with the disputed election there, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Berlin on Friday that Visegrad Group foreign ministers had met separately and decided to ask the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell to act swiftly on the matter.

The broader sanctions should not be delayed until after the next formal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in a month’s time, the V4 ministers agreed. Rather, the sanctions should be imposed as soon as possible through a written decision-making process, they agreed.

During a break in the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers, Szijjártó added that any uncertainty may strongly call into question the seriousness of the EU.

He noted in a statement to public media that EU member states have agreed to expand the list of sanctions to cover the heads of the Electoral Commission of Belarus and police leaders.

Szijjártó said the member states’ foreign ministers had agreed that change in Belarus should come about in line with the constitution and with an utmost respect for the country’s sovereignty and the people’s will. However, the solution should also consider geopolitical factors such as neighbouring Russia, he said.

The European Commission and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) might emerge as the mediators all parties accept, since Belarus is a member (of the OSCE) and Russia also cooperates with it, he said.