Ratas: The EU supports the wish of the Belarusian people to choose their own future and does not recognise the results of the presidential election

Stenbock House, 19 August 2020 – at an extraordinary video meeting of the European Council, Prime Minister Jüri Ratas emphasised the importance of the European Union’s support for the Belarusian people’s desire for democratic change and the need to stop violence, release the people detained unlawfully, and start an inclusive dialogue within the country.

According to Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, the European Union does not recognise the results of the presidential election in Belarus because the elections were neither free nor fair. “We support the aspirations and the wish of the Belarusian people for change. Only they have the right to freely choose their future,” said the prime minister.

Ratas emphasised that the violent suppression of peaceful protests and the oppression of the opposition is unacceptable. “The people of Belarus have demonstrated a wish for democratic change, but the government of Belarus has responded with force and violence. We call on the authorities to refrain from all forms of violence, release political prisoners and those that have been detained during peaceful protests, and start an inclusive dialogue to find a solution,” said the prime minister. The EU stands ready to contribute to a peaceful solution to the crisis and the Council supported the idea of involving the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The European Union will continue its preparations to shortly impose sanctions against the Belarusian individuals responsible for the falsification of election results and the violent suppression of protesters.

Ratas highlighted the importance of EU support for the civil society of Belarus. “The people of Belarus must be able to count on the help of the European Union. We must continue to provide assistance through the Eastern Partnership and increase support for the civil society and free press of Belarus,” said the Prime Minister. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, also informed the Council of the Commission’s intention to increase support for Belarus. Yesterday, the government of Estonia decided to support the civil society of Belarus with 100,000 euros.

The prime minister considers it important that the situation in Belarus receive the attention of the international community. “Yesterday, on the initiative of Estonia, the UN Security Council discussed the developments in Belarus. It is definitely important that the European Union and its member states act promptly and actively on the topic of Belarus in international organisations. Together, our voice is louder,” said the prime minister.

The leaders of the EU also discussed the issues of illegal drilling by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean and the anti-constitutional coup in Mali.

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