EU set to adopt new criteria to expand Belarus sanctions amid migrant crisis

By Omer Tugrul Cam

BRUSSELS (AA) - EU foreign ministers are set to approve new criteria for imposing sanctions on individuals and organizations that facilitate illegal entry into the EU from Belarus at a meeting Monday.

The Foreign Affairs Council will meet in Brussels to discuss the main topics on the agenda of the EU, especially Belarus.

Officials said the new criteria will be approved for the inclusion of persons or entities on the sanctions list in Belarus due to the latest migrant crisis at the Belarus-Poland border.

They added that the new criterion has been determined for individuals and organizations that will assist third parties to illegally enter EU borders.

"Thus, we are defining our legal framework to impose sanctions on those who endanger the lives of people who are deceived and used as means in the middle of winter," according to a senior EU official.

Some member states made suggestions on the expanded sanctions list against Belarus. However, the sanctions list has not yet been finalized. The list is expected to be determined soon.

The main topics on the agenda will be the Sahel and the Western Balkans.

Other issues, including Ethiopia, Sudan, and the coastal city of Maras in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will also be discussed.

The US along with the UK and the European nations France, Albania, Estonia and Ireland issued a statement at the UN on Thursday that accuses Belarus of using migrants to destabilize European borders and putting their lives in danger for political purposes.

The EU has also threatened to boost sanctions against Belarus, blaming President Alexander Lukashenko for manufacturing a crisis by luring migrants from Middle East countries and pushing them to enter the EU by breaching the borders.

Lukashenko, in turn, has threatened to cut off gas supplies to the EU if it imposes new sanctions.