Two diplomats said on Thursday (November 11) that the European Union is considering sanctions on Belarus’s major airports to make it more difficult for airlines to bring in immigrants and exacerbate the crisis at the EU border.
The European Union accuses Belarus of encouraging immigrants to enter its territory and then pushing thousands of people into Poland and other EU neighbors in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Minsk.
A diplomat said that as more immigrants gather on the border between Belarus and Poland on Thursday, the European Union is finalizing a fifth round of new sanctions against senior Belarusian officials and state-owned airline Belavia, which may be approved next week.
Two other diplomats told Reuters that the EU is also considering implementing a sixth asset freeze and travel ban, which may include orders to stop supplying EU companies to Minsk National Airport.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has already received international sanctions for suppressing the protests. He threatened to retaliate against any new measures, including shutting down gas transportation through Belarus.
A diplomat who listened to the briefing of the EU closed-door meeting said that the EU is considering convening a special EU summit held by the leaders of the EU-27, and the EU is also discussing whether to use its co-financing mechanism to build a border fence. on Wednesday.
resistanceConsider repatriation
A senior diplomat said that sanctions on Minsk Airport could stifle EU financing, supplies and equipment. According to its website, Lufthansa Cargo is the ground and cargo handler of Minsk National Airlines.
No more detailed information about the plan was immediately provided.
Diplomats and officials said that European Commission Vice President Margaritas Cinas was in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday to visit countries in the region, and that airlines from these countries have flights to Belarus.
vice president @MargSchinas Today in Dubai-this visit is the first time the Vice President has visited a partner country, and it has played a key role in helping stop the Lukashenko regime’s unscrupulous use of the people.
The next stop in Beirut, others follow.
👇https://t.co/MpWcZbOjAD-Natasha Bertaud (@NatashaBertaud) November 11, 2021
The EU is also debating how to prevent Belavia from leasing aircraft from companies such as Ireland’s AerCap and Denmark’s Nordic Aviation Capital. Industry analysts said that most of Belavia’s 30 aircraft are leased from European operators.
In any talks between the Lukashenko government and the United Nations, such measures may become an influence on Lukashenko. Diplomats said that these talks are also considering the repatriation of Middle Eastern immigrants stranded on the border between Belarus and Poland.
Diplomats said the Belarusian Hrodna Airport, near the Polish-Lithuanian border, might be an exit point to avoid freezing thousands of people at the border in winter.
