MINSK, May 4. /TASS/. The Belarusian government will take into account the current situation when making decisions on new countersanctions against the West, Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko stated after his report to the president on Tuesday.

"In the future, we will act according to the situation," the BelTA news agency quoted him as saying. The prime minister reiterated that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko issued a decree on introducing special protective measures and the government has already partially implemented the rights provided for in this decree.

The official emphasized that the introduction of sanctions against Belarus contradicts the norms of international law. "Unfortunately, the general devaluation of the international legal system results in the use of sanctions as an instrument of influence or pressure on unwanted states, usually aiming to worsen the economic situation in the country," he noted.

According to the prime minister, over the recent years Belarus has been subject to various forms of restrictions and as a result has learned to exist under these conditions. "We do not accept this and we cannot come to terms with attempts via such pressure on a sovereign independent state. We respond to these attacks proportionately - not only verbally, by [making] statements, but also by adopting certain economic measures. Nonetheless, we do not want to be as indiscriminate as our opponents, so we respond both symmetrically and asymmetrically," he added.

After last August’s presidential election in Belarus, the European Union approved three sanctions packages against a number of Belarusian companies and individuals which Brussels named responsible for the alleged falsification of the election results as well as for violence and what the EU calls unwarranted arrests in the country. For its part, Washington is renewing restrictive measures against nine Belarusian petrochemical state enterprises. Belarus restricted import and sales of products of three European companies: Liqui Moly, ·koda Auto and Beiersdorf.