DISINFO: The West needs to tear away from Russia its strategic partner and ally Belarus
SUMMARY
The West needs - as always - to tear away from Russia its strategic partner and ally (Belarus).
When Europe and the [United] States saw in last year's Belarusian protests a real chance to overthrow Alyaksandr Lukashenka - everything changed. When the "prank failed," the usual mechanism of pressure on "a deeply undemocratic authoritarian regime that suppresses the rights and freedoms of citizens" was automatically turned on.
At the very core of the West's actions lies a deep contempt for the sovereignty of other states - and for their leaders at the same time.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the belligerent West plotting against Belarus and its citizens, trying to destabilise and destroy the country and Western attempts to disrupt Belarus-Russia relations.
The claims the West was involved in unfriendly actions towards Belarus or that it has some aggressive geopolitical plans or contempt for the sovereignty of this country are unfounded. The West continues to support the Belarusian people, respects the principles of international law and does not intervene in the domestic affairs of any country.
Мost of the world community demand that Russia and Belarus fulfil their obligations as members of the UN, the OSCE and other international organisations, respect the international law, as well as their own legislation. This has nothing to do with the collaboration between Russia and Belarus which nobody is preventing.
Western countries have no plans to harm the independence or sovereignty of Belarus but have to react to events in Belarus. The EU did not recognise the falsified results of the Belarusian Presidential election on 9 August 2020 or the new mandate claimed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka. On 19 August 2020, the European Council called the Belarus elections neither free nor fair and on 2 October 2020, the Council imposed restrictive measures against 40 individuals identified as responsible for repression and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, opposition members, and journalists, as well as for misconduct of the electoral process.
The EU imposed new restrictive measures against the Belarusian regime to respond to the escalation of serious human rights violations in Belarus and the violent repression of civil society, democratic opposition and journalists, as well as to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk on 23 May 2021 and the related detention of journalist Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega.
The goal of the fourth package of sanctions is to put pressure on the Belarusian political leadership to initiate a genuine and inclusive national dialogue with broader society and to avoid further repression.
However, the EU continues to support the Belarusian people and civil society and outlined a 3 billion EUR economic support package to a future democratic Belarus.
See similar disinformation cases alleging that Russia has neutralised many Western attempts to topple the Belarusian government; the West pursues Maidan policy towards Belarus to encircle Russia; European policy of interference in Belarus continues and deepens; The US and Europe are demonising Belarus.