EU must adopt 5th sanctions package against Minsk immediately – Lithuanian official

VILNIUS – The European Union must adopt a fifth sanctions package against Belarus immediately, Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Arnoldas Pranckevicius has said after the General Affairs Council's meeting.

"It is necessary to adopt the fifth sanctions package as soon as possible and to start preparing the sixth one to maintain pressure on the Belarusian regime," the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying in a press release on Wednesday. 

At its meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, the General Affairs Council discussed preparations for the European Council's meeting scheduled for December 16-17 and other issues on the EU agenda.

Lithuania expects the European Commission to come up with proposals on changes to the EU legal framework on migration, asylum and border protection by the December summit.

"We expect the European Council to set out further strategic guidelines for how to act effectively and comprehensively at EU level, both in the face of the Lukashenko regime's continued attacks on the EU and in countering similar hybrid threats in the future," Pranckevicius said.