NewsBelarus demands sanctions be labeled economic terrorism at UN

Belarus demands sanctions be labeled economic terrorism at UN

Alaksandr Łukaszenka
Alaksandr Łukaszenka
Images source: © PAP | PAVEL BEDNYAKOV / SPUTNIK / GOVERNMENT PRESS SERVICE POOL
Przemysław Ciszak

14 June 2024 07:19

Belarus demands that unilateral sanctions be recognized not only as economic terrorism but as an act of aggression, argued the country's permanent representative, Valentin Rybakov, at the United Nations General Assembly session. As an example, he pointed to the halt in the supply of medicines, including from Poland.

At the United Nations General Assembly session, Belarus filed a motion to recognize sanctions as an act of terrorism. The country’s permanent representative to the UN, Valentin Rybakov, argued that it includes restrictions on medicines, reports Kommersant.

Belarus's representative at the international forum complained that, due to the United States and the European Union's sanction policies on Belarus, the supply of many medicines has been halted.

"In particular, we are talking about medicines for epilepsy treatment supplied from Poland, medicines for treating Parkinson's disease and certain cancers from Finland, and basic painkillers from the United Kingdom," he enumerated.

Sanctions like war and hunger

Rybakov added that a direct consequence of sanctions on Belarusian potassium fertilizers, which allegedly make up almost one-third of the world's exports, "is a significant drop in crop yields in Africa," writes Kommersant.

In this regard, the Belarusian authorities have concluded that "unilateral sanctions in their effect are comparable to severe armed conflicts and natural disasters."