Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg expresses his concern about recent facts of human rights violations in Belarus

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, commented on the decision concerning the EU sanctions against Belarus, following a meeting of EU foreign ministers on 16 March:
‘We have agreed that the European Union should continue its engagements in Belarus and supporting the positive events in the country. Therefore, we have agreed to prolong visa sanctions suspension for several Belarusian officials for another 9 months. At the same time, we have arrived at a decision to prolong the sanctions for another 12 months… The decision to extend sanctions and prolong travel ban suspension reflects the difficult situation in Belarus, which we have witnessed over the past weeks. The recent events of human rights violations do concern us. The European Union is open for a more profound cooperation with Belarus, depending on the progress the country will achieve.’