Belarus preparing new measures in response to Western sanctions

Belarus is preparing new measures in response to Western sanctions. Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik made the statement on the air of the TV channel Belarus One, BelTA has learned.

Sergei Aleinik reminded that Belarus is working hard to minimize consequences of the sanctions-fueled pressure. The efforts are aimed at not only redirecting export flows but also at taking reciprocal measures.

“It is also part of the work that is going on. A number of decisions have been made: a list of unfriendly countries, restrictions on technological import from Western states, and restrictions concerning an entire range of food products. This week we've decided to restrict the entry of Polish trailers and semitrailers into Belarus' territory in response to Warsaw's latest sanctions against Belarus. Additional measures are being prepared and we will learn about them soon,” Sergei Aleinik said.

In his words, Belarus takes all these measures thoughtfully, after weighing economic risks and the economic effect. “We are absolutely not interested in taking reciprocal measures, particularly economic ones, only to shoot ourselves in the foot the way Western countries do. Because we understand perfectly well that these unprecedented sanctions of the West not only affect the countries the sanctions target but boomerang on the authors of these sanctions,” the Belarusian minister of foreign affairs stressed. In his words, the number of countries the sanctions target is going up substantially and already exceeds 50 states. Those include China, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran.

“And the saddest thing is that the sanctions enforced by Europeans and Americans against our countries affect all the countries of the world without exception. These are indirect-effect sanctions,” the official remarked.