MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2021) The European Union can apply further sanctions against Belarus over the recent migrant crisis at the bloc's eastern borders, Slovenian Interior Minister Ales Hojs said on Tuesday.
Lithuania, Latvia and Poland accuse Belarus of letting migrants cross over to get back at the EU for imposing economic sanctions on it. Minsk argues it can no longer afford tough border security due to Western sanctions.
"Belarus and the eastern border will soon be on the agenda of the council as well. We have certain mechanisms that we can use at the EU level � if these attacks continue we have options. The Commission and the European external action service has some leeway in order to pressure Belarus more," Hojs said at a press conference after the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels.
This stance was echoed by EU Home Affairs Commissioner YIva Johansson, who thinks the alleged "instrumentalizing" of migrants is a sign of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko feeling the pressure of sanctions the bloc has already imposed. The official added that more sanctions could be placed on Belarus.
"I am responsible for the visa code and we can suspend this possibility for visas for people linked to the Lukashenko regime," Johansson said.
The relations between Minsk and the West sharply deteriorated following the Belarusian presidential election in August 2020, whose results caused massive opposition protests. Canada, the EU, the United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions against Belarusian officials and enterprises, blaming Minsk for alleged human rights violations. In addition, the EU placed economic sanctions on Belarus in late June over the Ryanair plane incident, prohibiting exports and limiting imports of several types of goods.
