Russian PM Putin denounces US sanctions against Belarus

Russian PM Putin denounces US sanctions against Belarus

2011-08-16 06:00:03 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW (BNO NEWS) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday denounced the United States economic sanctions against Belarusian companies, saying they are never an effective way to solve political crises, local media reported.

"It is my first belief that they [sanctions] are never effective. On the contrary, they turn against those who impose them", Putin said following a session of the Council of Ministers of the Russia-Belarus Union State, as reported by Itar-Tass news agency.

"I don't think it would be advisable to respond to this in any way. We do not respond immediately to such things", he added.

Putin said Belarus is living through a difficult period of recovery from the international financial crisis, but he is confident that it "will persevere through this period of hardship and turbulence".

Earlier in the day, Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich asked his Russian counterpart for support to overcome the consequences of the U.S. sanctions. "The Russian Federation has always supported the Republic of Belarus. Tools for providing appropriate support can be found both on a bilateral and trilateral basis", Myasnikovich said.

The United States imposed on August 11 new economic sanctions against four major Belarusian state-owned enterprises "to respond to the continued incarceration of political prisoners and crackdown on political activists, journalists and civil society representatives", a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State said in a statement.

"The new sanctions augment the travel restrictions, asset freezes and sanctions announced on January 31. These measures target those responsible for the repression in Belarus following the December 19 presidential elections", the Department of State added.

More than 600 citizens of Belarus were detained after the December 19 demonstration in central Minsk following the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for more than 15 years. Most of the detainees were charged with administrative offenses, but dozens of criminal cases were initiated over the protests, including several against former presidential candidates.

In addition, hundreds of people were arrested throughout Belarus last month for taking part in street protests against Lukashenko's government and its economic policies. The former Soviet republic has been gripped by a severe financial crisis and was forced to devalue its currency by 36 percent in May.

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