Belarus allowed withdrawal from joint programs with the EU due to sanctions

Belarus may withdraw from joint programs with the EU, including the Eastern Partnership, if the bloc intensifies sanctions pressure on the republic, Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said.

“Against the background of tougher sanctions pressure, the further participation of our country in the Eastern Partnership may lose all meaning. Without Belarus, this initiative also loses all meaning. <...> Other response measures are also being considered.” Makei said (quote from BelTA).

The Eastern Partnership is an EU project aimed at developing integration ties and deepening the union's relations with the "eastern neighbors": Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Makei specified that MINSK is considering the possibility of suspending cooperation with the EU on combating illegal migration and organized crime. Restrictions, he said, may affect political funds, humanitarian programs, non-governmental organizations that work on the territory of Belarus.