Ronis: Sanctions against Belarus could lead to political and social depression in the country

  • 2012-03-21

RIGA - Europe must understand that possible sanctions against Belarus could lead to political, economic and social depression in this country, former foreign minister and current Transport Minister Aivis Ronis emphasized to LETA.

“Latvia has done everything it can to help Belarus gain an appropriate place in European and regional cooperation. I urge EU countries to delay the implementation of these sanctions, so to give Belarusians the opportunity to understand the possible consequences. I am confident that the Belarus government does not wish to transform itself into the North Korea of Europe and isolate the country's people,” Ronis said.

“On the other hand, Europe must understand that sanctions could lead to political, economic and social depression in this region. In any case, it would be sad to be divided from our neighbor,” Ronis added.

As reported, if the European Union (EU) imposes sanctions against Belarus and Latvia will most likely not make any major objections and join the bloc's common stance, government representatives told members of the press yesterday [March 20].