MINSK. June 9 (Interfax) - By joining European Union sanctions against Belarus, seven EU states have demonstrated "their loyalty towards the center of force," Minsk said.
"We are expressing our regret over this decision. It is obvious that this is a demonstration of loyalty towards the center of force that requires such actions and is willing to reward them," Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Savinykh told Interfax.
"We stress once again that the sanctions policy has no prospects, it sows mistrust and hampers genuine resolution of controversial issues," the Belarusian diplomat said.
Earlier EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton issued a statement welcoming the decision by another seven EU member states to impose sanctions against Belarusian officials, the EU delegation office in Minsk told Interfax. The seven states in question are: Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Iceland, Serbia, Albania and Lichtenstein, according to the document, which does not stipulate, however, when these countries joined the EU Council decisions of March 23 and April 23, 2012.
On March 23 the foreign ministers from the 27 EU countries extended sanctions against Belarus to 29 companies and 12 individuals allegedly involved in repressions against the opposition and civil activists.
Currently, the EU visa and economic sanctions are applied to 240 individuals, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and about 30 companies.