U.S. not ruling out further sanctions against Belarusian companies -diplomat
MINSK. May 8 (Interfax) - Jonathan Moore, the U.S. Charge
d'Affaires in Belarus, said the U.S. could impose further sanctions on
Belarusian companies.
The number of political prisoners in Belarus has unfortunately
increased from one to three, Moore told an online conference on Thursday
[referring to Alexander Kozulin, entrepreneur Sergei Parsyukevich and
youth activist Andrei Kim]. This has the potential to lead to additional
sanctions with regards to Belarus, he said.
Moore said sanctions could be introduced against other Belarusian
state-run companies.
The United States imposed sanctions on Belneftekhim last year, he
said. Subsequently, the Belarusian authorities freed all political
prisoners, except Alexander Kozulin, Moore said. But since this process
came to a halt, a clarification of the sanctions was published, he
added. The United States does not see the sanctions as sanctions against
the Belarusian people, Moore said.
The sanctions aim to jolt Belarus into reacting, he said. Political
and economic reforms, including liberation of political prisoners, would
be seen as a positive reaction, the U.S. diplomat said. The Belarusian
authorities took certain measures, but then everything was reversed, and
only a negative result can be seen, More said.
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