EU bans Belarus airlines from its airspace after journalist's arrest
05 June, 2021
EU ambassadors agreed to ban Belarus airlines from flying over the bloc’s territory or perhaps landing at its airports.
It's the latest step taken by Brussels found in response to the arrest of an opposition journalist whose plane last month was forced into a crisis landing by Belarus's army.
The flight ban will need effect at nighttime, diplomats involved in the talks told Reuters.
Enforcement of the ban can fall to EU governments, many of whom are also customers of Nato and may scramble fighter jets to safeguard their airspace.
Belarus’s nationwide carrier, Belavia, usually operates flights linking the united states with airports including those on Paris, Berlin, Rome and Vienna.
The EU is also recommending that its airlines avoid flying over Belarus, but this will not total a legally binding ban.
Air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said that about 400 civilian planes usually fly over Belarus every day.
Lufthansa, Oxygen France and Finnair happen to be among the airlines who have announced that they can stop flying more than the country.
The EU’s move is part of broader sanctions against the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Britain, the US and EU all imposed sanctions on Belarus officials last year immediately after an election that the opposition said was rigged.
On May 23, journalist Roman Protasevich was arrested after the Belarusian armed service scrambled a warplane to force a Ryanair plane to territory in Minsk.
The flight from Athens to Vilnius was diverted when Belarus claimed there is a bomb threat, which world powers suspect was a ruse to arrest the journalist.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the primary opposition figure found in Belarus, on Friday called for the EU, the UK and the US to jointly put more pressure on Mr Lukashenko.
“Pressure is more powerful when these countries are actually acting jointly,” she said. “They need to act jointly thus their voice could be more loud.”
The opposition head said she expected that Belarus will be discussed at next week’s G7 summit in Cornwall.
Belarusian state media broadcast an interview with Mr Protasevich about Thursday in which he admitted calling for protests and praised Mr Lukashenko.
Ms Tsikhanouskaya on Fri dismissed the interview, telling Mr Protasevich was a good political prisoner.
"All such videos are shot under pressure. We don't have to give consideration even to these phrases because they are carried out after torture," she explained.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com