EU imposes new sanctions on Belarus in coordination with U.S., Britain

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union imposed sanctions on state-owned Belarusian airline Belavia on Thursday, accusing the corporate of flying in migrants as a tactic to destabilise European states, in a brand new spherical of punitive measures coordinated with america.

Reuters reported the deliberate sanctions on Nov. 10 they usually have been permitted final month. They got here into impact on Thursday after publication within the EU’s official journal. Britain and Canada additionally imposed new sanctions on Belarus on Thursday.

EU governments blacklisted 17 people and 11 entities, concentrating on judges and prime Belarusian officers. These sanctions are within the type of asset freezes and journey bans.

The sanctions on Belavia imply EU firms can not lease planes to the Belarusian airline, EU officers have mentioned. It was not instantly clear if Belavia must return the 17 plane leased by way of plane firms in Eire.

The choice takes the full variety of Belarusian people below EU sanctions to 183, together with 26 entities.

The European Union accuses Belarus of flying in migrants, primarily from the Center East, and pushing them to illegally cross the border with Poland in a “hybrid assault” on the bloc.

Belarus denies fuelling the disaster. Belavia has denied any wrongdoing.

The EU additionally focused resorts and journey brokers equivalent to Oskartour which have been accused of utilizing their contacts with airways to assist lure in migrants to Belarus.

Within the official journal, the EU mentioned President Alexander Lukashenko had agreed along with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “on planning the opening of recent airline routes for Belavia” to usher in migrants.

Moscow denies any involvement.

“Belavia has been concerned in bringing migrants from the Center East to Belarus,” the official journal mentioned. “Migrants wishing to cross the Union’s exterior border have been flying to Minsk on board flights operated by Belavia from various Center Japanese nations.”

Belavia, which was already barred from flying over the European Union after the grounding of a airplane earlier this yr, flies to locations equivalent to Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott in Brussels; Enhancing by Matthew Lewis)



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