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Moscow strongly condemns new Western sanctions against Belarus - Russian Foreign Ministry

New Western sanctions against Belarus are example of interference in internal affairs of sovereign state, Maria Zakharova said

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. Moscow firmly denounces the new sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada on Belarus on December 2, and believes that those restrictions are illegitimate, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website on Saturday.

"We strongly condemn the new restrictive measures against Belarus, which were synchronously approved on December 2 by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada. These sanctions are illegitimate, like any restrictions imposed in circumvention of the United Nations Security Council. They are inhumane due to their negative impact on the lives of ordinary citizens of Belarus," the statement said.

The West’s new round of sanctions against Belarus is politically biased and is an example of interference in internal affairs of a sovereign state, Zakharova said in.

"The sanctions imposed on Belarus have a clear political connotation and are another example of interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state. Their authors do not conceal that they intentionally deliver blows on the backbone of the Belarusian economy," the diplomat said.

"They obviously aim at its collapse and at reducing the Belarusians’ living standards, thus attempting to set preconditions for another ‘color revolution’," she added.

Russia calls on Western countries to show a civilized approach and start to resolve the migrant crisis practically in cooperation with the Belarusian authorities, Zakharova said.

"The history of previous migration crises proves that their solutions can be found only through close cooperation between the countries of origin, transit and destination of migrants. We call on the Western states to abandon double standards and the policy of illegitimate sanctions, but to demonstrate a civilized approach and proceed with the practical settlement of the migrant crisis in cooperation with the authorities of the Republic of Belarus," the diplomat said.

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