Belarus calls on the USA to abandon the policy of economic sanctions

On September 1, Minsk /BELTA correspondent/. Belarus considers the US government's decision to impose economic restrictive measures against Belarusian enterprises to be unfounded and unlawful. The Belarusian side views these measures as politically motivated decisions that restrict the economic basis of bilateral cooperation. This was stated on September 1 by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE, Alexander Sychev, at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, as reported by BELTA correspondent. The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on four enterprises of the Belneftekhim concern on August 11, 2011: Belshina, Grodno Azot, Grodno Khimvolokno, and Naftan. In accordance with this decision, Belarusian enterprises are included in a special list of persons and organizations whose property and property interests in the United States are blocked. US individuals and legal entities are prohibited from conducting transactions with these enterprises. The United States cited alleged "human rights violations related to political repression in Belarus" as the reason for imposing the sanctions. Alexander Sychev emphasized that the actions of the United States constitute a gross violation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, according to which, in exchange for Belarus's voluntary renunciation of nuclear weapons, the United States of America undertook not to apply economic coercion measures against Belarus. The aforementioned US decision is particularly surprising given that the security assurances for Belarus, enshrined in the Memorandum, were reaffirmed by the United States in a joint statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and the US Secretary of State following their meeting in Astana on December 1, 2010. Furthermore, as a signatory to the Helsinki Final Act, the United States undertook to "refrain in all circumstances from any act of economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interests the exercise by another participating State of the rights inherent in its sovereignty." Alexander Sychev also noted that the actions of the United States contradict UN General Assembly resolution 62/183, according to which "no State may apply or encourage the application of unilateral economic, political or any other measures so as to coerce another State in order to obtain from it the subordination of the exercise of its sovereign rights."

UNGA Resolution 62/162 "Human rights and unilateral coercive measures" calls on all states to "cease the adoption or enforcement of any unilateral coercive measures not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations and that have extraterritorial effects, where they affect the sovereignty of other States and their right to choose their economic, political and social systems". Alexander Sychev emphasized: "The methods of intimidation, economic pressure, and coercion that the United States is applying to the Republic of Belarus are absolutely unacceptable in international practice and can only lead to increased tension in relations between sovereign states and in the international arena as a whole. The arguments of the American side that the sanctions are allegedly not directed against ordinary people do not correspond to reality, as approximately 40,000 people work at the enterprises against which sanctions have been imposed. Sanctions are direct pressure on the socio-economic interests of the people working at these enterprises." The US sanctions against four Belarusian enterprises are a form of unfair competition towards enterprises of Belarus that are widely known in the world and enjoy well-deserved authority. These enterprises operate exclusively in the economic interests of the entire Belarusian people. They conduct transparent business and support many socially significant projects. Thanks to a successful marketing strategy, they have managed to develop their scientific, technical, production, and personnel potential, and achieve progressive strengthening of their positions in international markets. In this regard, any restriction on the operation of the aforementioned enterprises is a blow not only to the enterprises themselves and their staff but also to the interests of all citizens of Belarus. In light of the escalation of unfriendly actions by the United States towards Belarus and its people, the Belarusian side is forced to freeze the implementation of some bilateral cooperation projects with the United States and reserves the right to take other adequate retaliatory measures. At the same time, Belarus continues to strictly adhere to its relevant international obligations.The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the OSCE called on the United States to abandon the policy of economic sanctions, respond to the calls and decisions of the UN, and immediately review the practice of applying discriminatory measures against Belarusian enterprises. "We also call on the Acting Chairmanship and relevant OSCE structures, in particular, the Office of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum Coordinator, to give a principled assessment of the actions of the United States for violation of OSCE commitments," stated Alexander Sychev. -0-

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