EU reacts to the Belarusian diplomacy affront

Heads of EU diplomacy had decided to add further 21 names to the list of representatives of the Lukashenko regime, who are banned from entering the EU. The sanctions are part of a Union protest against continuing repressions of the opposition in Belarus and sentencing of political prisoners. On Tuesday, as a response, Minsk has asked the heads of the Polish and EU diplomatic missions to leave Belarus.

Chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee Grzegorz Schetyna told Polish Radio:

"The fundamental question is how to act so that the EU does not close the door for Belarus to come closer to European structures and standards and not to push Belarus into cooperation only with Russia."

Slawek Szefs reports on the developments between the EU and Belarus, including a conversation with Professor Mikolaj Iwanow from the Center of East European Studies at Warsaw University.

On Friday: more commentary on the Polish - Belarusian relations in this week's edition of Dateline Warsaw.

Polish embassy in Minsk, Belarus. Photo: PAP/EPA/STRINGER

Cover: Christof Weil (C), Ambassador of Germany and Edminas Bagdonas (R) Ambassador of Lithuania to Belarus are seen at the entrance of the Embassy of France in Minsk, where the urgent meeting of EU Ambassadors in Belarus took place. Photo: PAP/EPA/STRINGER .