Belarus welcomes suspension of EU sanctions against FM

The Belarussian foreign ministry said Monday that it welcomes the decision of the Council of the European Union (EU) to suspend visa sanctions against the country's foreign minister, Vladimir Makei. The suspension is a constructive decision in the right direction,ministry spokesman Andrei Savinykh told local media, adding that the differences can be settled only via mutually respectful dialogues. The council decided Monday to cross out Makei from the list of Belarussian officials barred from the EU territory. The decision is to be published in the EU official magazine on June 25. According to the council, the decision does not alter the EU's policy regarding Minsk. The EU imposed visa and economic sanctions against the representatives of Minsk in January 2011, citing "the continued incarceration of political prisoners and crackdown on political activists, journalists and civil society representatives." The sanctions were condemned by the governments of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.