Belarus has told the head of the EU delegation to Belarus, Ambassador Maira Mora, and Polish Ambassador Leszek Szerepka to leave the country, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The ambassadors were told to “leave for their capitals for consultations to inform their leadership of Belarus’ firm position that pressure and sanctions are unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Savinykh said.
He also said Belarus has recalled its ambassadors to the European Union and Poland, Andrei Yevdochenko and Viktor Gaisenok, in response to the EU’s expanding sanctions against the former Soviet republic.
EU members on Monday agreed to expand a black list of Belarusian officials subjected to restrictive measures, namely police officers and court officials considered responsible for arrests and condemnation of opposition activists. The sanctions envision an asset freeze and an EU entry ban.
Belarus will also ban entry to the country for those EU officials who contributed to the introduction of the new sanctions, Savinykh said.
“The Council of Europe’s decision testifies that the EU continues to pursue a policy of open pressure. We have repeatedly explained at all levels that this policy has no prospects in relations with the republic of Belarus,” he said.
