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Belarusian foreign ministry welcomes suspension of EU visa entry against Makey

 

The European Union’s decision to suspend its entry ban against Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey is a constructive step in the right direction, the ministry’s spokesman, Andrey Savinykh, told BelaPAN.

“We can only deal with our disagreements through contacts and a mutually respectful dialogue,” Mr. Savinykh said.

The decision to suspend the visa ban against Mr. Makey was made by the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council on Monday.

Mr. Makey was not removed from a list of citizens of Belarus subject to asset freezes within the EU.

“In order to facilitate diplomatic contacts between the EU and Belarus, the Council today suspended the EU travel ban on Vladimir [Uladzimir] Makey, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs,” the Foreign Affairs Council said in a statement. “Mr Makey will remain on the list of persons subject to EU restrictive measures, but the visa ban will not be applied to him.”

The Council stressed that its “decision does not reflect any change in the EU`s policy towards Belarus.” “The EU maintains its policy of critical engagement with Belarus, including its policy of sanctions, with a view to furthering the respect for human rights, the rule of law and democratic principles in Belarus,” the statement said.

The European Union imposed the travel ban on Uladzimir Makey in January 2011 for his role in "the violations of international electoral standards" in the December 2010 presidential election and a post-election crackdown on government opponents. Mr. Makey was blacklisted while he was serving as head of the Presidential Administration. In August 2012, Mr. Makey was appointed to the position of foreign minister instead of Syarhey Martynaw, who was not on the EU’s blacklist.

As many as 241 Belarusian citizens, including Alyaksandr Lukashenka, are currently subject to travel bans and 242 persons plus 30 business entities are subject to asset freezes within the EU. // BelaPAN