Crisis in Belarus: Charles Michel calls an extraordinary European summit

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An extraordinary summit of the 27 leaders of the European Union will take place on Wednesday August 19 on the situation in Belarus, the President of the European Council announced on Monday. Protests are multiplying in this country to push President Lukashenko to leave.

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“  The people of Belarus have the right to decide their future and freely elect their leader. Violence against protesters is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated,  ”Charles Michel said on Twitter.

I will call a meeting of the members of the European Council this Wednesday 12h00 to discuss the situation in #Belarus

The people of Belarus have the right to decide on their future and freely elect their leader

Violence against protesters is unacceptable and cannot be allowed

Due to the worsening of tensions, the President of the European Council has decided to convene an extraordinary summit of the Twenty-Seven on Wednesday by videoconference. This summit will start at noon (10am UT). Initially, the situation was to be raised at the end of August in Berlin at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, but the crisis has worsened further.

Extensive sanctions? 

Germany, which holds the presidency of the European Union, also threatened on Monday to extend the sanctions already announced against officials in Belarus.

The European Union had in fact decided Friday to sanction the repression in this country during a meeting of foreign ministers. The latter had agreed that a list of people accused of having organized and carried out this repression should be established.

►Also read: Belarus: the EU positions itself in support of the demonstrators opposed to Lukashenko

Belarus is still under an embargo on the sale of arms and material that can be used for repression. Four people are already banned from staying in the EU and their assets have been frozen since 2016. New names could be added to this list, Berlin warned.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa " ready to govern "

The electoral victory of Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election on Sunday, August 9, was seen as largely rigged, while the mobilization in favor of his unexpected rival, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, ignited Belarus. After the election, four evenings of protests were put down by riot forces, killing at least two and injuring dozens. The mobilization then spread, human chains and opposition rallies sprouting up across the country.

Faced with the biggest wave of protest since coming to power in 1994, the Belarusian president received the support of Moscow this weekend, a historic ally despite recurring tensions between the two countries.

The opposition presidential candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, for her part said she was ready to "  assume her responsibilities  " and govern the country in a video recorded in Lithuania, where she is a refugee.

( With AFP)

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• Belarus
• European Union
• Alexander Lukashenko

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