“In connection with the unprecedented restrictive measures imposed by the European Union against Belarus, today the head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Belarus Dirk Schuebel was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the statement says.
It is noted that during the meeting, Schuebel "was declared the firm position of the Belarusian side on the absolute unacceptability of the use of sanctions as an instrument of pressure on a sovereign and independent state."
The Foreign Ministry said that “the diplomat was informed about concrete steps within the framework of a forced response to actions that threaten the national security of Belarus and cause direct damage to its economy and citizens”.
“The Republic of Belarus suspends its participation in the EU Eastern Partnership initiative.
Belarus is starting to implement the procedure for suspending the readmission agreement with the EU, ”the ministry said.
It is also reported that the permanent representative of Belarus to the EU is recalling to Minsk for consultations.
“The head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Belarus was also invited to leave for Brussels for consultations in order to convey to his leadership the position of the Belarusian side on the unacceptability of pressure and sanctions,” the ministry said.
In addition, as stated in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “in response, the entry to Belarus will be prohibited for representatives of European structures and persons from the European Union countries that contributed to the introduction of restrictive measures.”
The European Union last week announced the introduction of economic sectoral sanctions against Belarus due to the incident with the Ryanair plane, which on May 23 urgently landed at the Minsk airport.