Belarus on Wednesday accused the European Union of escalating tensions towards a “dead end” in a growing diplomatic crisis, after EU member states recalled all their ambassadors to the ex-Soviet state. Belarus had earlier told the EU and Polish envoys to leave and tell their capitals of Minsk’s dissatisfaction with new sanctions measures, an unusual diplomatic step which prompted the recall by Brussels of all EU ambassadors. “The European Union’s nervous reaction to a suggestion by Belarus that the EU and Polish envoys should hold consultations in their capitals shows one thing — that Brussels is choosing to escalate tensions,” the Belarussian foreign ministry said in a statement. “This is a path to a dead end,” it said. “Brussels and other EU capitals should not forget that the tactic of intimidation does not work against Belarus.”
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton had announced that all European ambassadors would be withdrawn from Minsk for consultations in an “expression of solidarity” after the departure of the EU and Polish envoys. The EU on Wednesday published a backlist for travel to the EU of 21 judges, prosecutors, and police officials said to be in charge of repression after post-election mass protests shook Minsk in December, 2010. The sanctions were branded “an unacceptable policy of outright pressure” by Minsk, which suggested to the envoys from Poland and the EU that they should depart Belarus and threatened “other measures to protect our interests”. It did not say that the envoys were being expelled and but said they needed to go home to inform their political leaderships of Minsk’s position. Poland’s ambassador Leszek Szarepka and EU’s ambassador Maira Mora will be leaving Wednesday, the diplomats told AFP, without elaborating.
French ambassador Michel Raineri is still in Belarus but is preparing to leave “when everyone does,” while German envoy Christof Weil is also preparing to depart for consultations in Berlin, though the exact date is not set, diplomats told AFP. Britain has also “decided… to recall for consultations its ambassador”, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday. Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has become increasingly isolated from the West after a crackdown against his opponents that followed his re-election in disputed presidential elections in December 2010.
Poland has led the campaign in Europe to impose sanctions and accepted many Belarussians fleeing Lukashenko’s regime after his top political opponents were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Lukashenko has said he would not bend to pressure, telling diplomats from Norway and Luxemburg last week that “we will stand to our death here, protecting our independence and sovereignty.” He compared Belarus’ current struggle to World War II, when its territory was occupied by Nazi forces.
Opposition observers however saw Lukashenko brinkmanship as a mistake. “(The recall) will make Lukashenko even more dependent on Russia,” said opposition politician Vladimir Nekliayev who stood against the president in the December polls. “Belarus is not in a position to dictate to anyone by demonstrating force,” he said. Sergei Kalyakin, leader of opposition party Just World, added: “This will hurt people’s interests, it will hurt the economy. He is only making his relations worse with the whole world.”
