US, allies pile on pressure against Belarus

WASHINGTON－The United States, European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada slapped simultaneous sanctions on Thursday on dozens of officials, organizations and companies in Belarus, with the EU taking aim at those accused of participating in an alleged hybrid attack on the bloc using migrants, a claim denied by Minsk.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry charged on Thursday that the new sanctions aim to "economically stifle Belarus, make the life of Belarusians as hard as possible" and to destroy Belarus "as a sovereign, economically successful state".

The ministry rejected allegations that the Belarusian government orchestrated the migrant crisis and blamed the EU for undermining "stability and security in our region".

In a statement, it called the EU "the initiator of the sanctions spiral and aggression" and promised "harsh, asymmetrical" measures in response.

The three countries and the 27-nation EU have targeted Belarus since President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term last year.

The US State Department said the Treasury has identified three aircraft as blocked property and designated 32 individuals and entities, including Belarusian state-owned enterprises and government officials.

The EU, meanwhile, imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 17 more people, including senior border guard and military officials, government representatives and judges.

Air carriers targeted

The measures also hit air carriers, including state carrier Belavia, and travel groups accused by the EU of helping to bring migrants to Belarus with the aim of helping them cross into the 27-country bloc, chiefly through Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

Britain said it had imposed sanctions on eight Belarusian individuals. It also froze the assets of OJSC Belaruskali, one of the world's largest producers of potash fertilizer, which is a major source of revenue for the Belarus government.

At least 8,000 migrants, many of them Iraqis, have entered the EU without authorization this year from Belarus. Lithuania and Poland declared a state of emergency at their borders to stop people crossing. Several people died, trapped in the Poland-Belarus border zone in subzero temperatures, according to media outlets.

With that in mind, the EU targeted Belavia. "Migrants wishing to cross the Union's external border have been flying to Minsk on board flights operated by Belavia from a number of Middle Eastern countries, in particular Lebanon, UAE and Turkey," according to text of the sanctions.

Also on the list is state tourism company Tsentrkurort, which the EU claims helped at least 51 Iraqis obtain visas to Belarus and organized bus transport for them to the borders.

The Hotel Minsk company and Hotel Planeta, which are linked to the Belarus President Property Management Directorate, are accused of lodging migrants aiming to reach the border.

The EU also took aim at VIP Grub, a passport and visa service based in Istanbul, Turkey. The sanctions list stated that the company "organizes trips to Belarus with the explicit intention of facilitating migration to the EU. VIP Grub actively advertises migration to the EU".

Agencies Via Xinhua