Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron explained the refusal to include the head of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in the EU sanctions list. RIA Novosti reports.
According to the French leader, taking action against Lukashenka would mean refusing to dialogue. Macron noted that the European Union (EU), on the contrary, intends to do everything possible to launch a dialogue through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). On behalf of the EU, he also called on the head of Belarus to take measures to build confidence and release political prisoners, especially former presidential candidates.
The head of the Fifth Republic stressed that if Lukashenka refuses to dialogue, sanctions may also be imposed on him.
Earlier, the chairman of the European Council Charles Michel said that the European Union did not include President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in the sanctions list for falsifying elections and violating human rights in the country.
The leaders of the EU countries agreed on the imposition of sanctions against the authorities of Belarus. The restrictions will affect about 40 Belarusian officials. Previously, the member states of the European Union could not make progress in negotiations due to the position of Cyprus, which intends at the same time to impose restrictive measures against Turkey in connection with Ankara's plans to extract natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In Belarus, for the second month, mass protests continue over the official results of the presidential elections on August 9, according to which Lukashenka won 80 percent of the vote.
