Brussels (dpa) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel lauds the EU leaders’ breakthrough on sanctioning Belarusian individuals involved in election fraud and human rights abuses, albeit noting that it was overdue.
Speaking to reporters after a two-day meeting between the 27 heads of state and government had ended, she says it was “a success” that the EU had come to an agreement over Turkey after intense negotiations.
The agreement on Turkey, she says, managed to solve “a very troublesome” blockage of sanctions against Belarus.
The sanctions against Belarus, which had been blocked by Cyprus until the EU adopts a tougher stance on Turkey, were an “important signal,” she says, to support those people that fought for democracy and civil rights.
“It was important, but also overdue,” she says.
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