A Boeing 737-800 plane operated by Belarusian state carrier Belavia takes off on May 28, 2021 at Domodedovo Airport outside Moscow, Russia. REUTERS Maxim Shemetov File Photo
BRUSSELS, December 2, Reuters - The European Union imposed sanctions on state-owned Belarusian airline Belavia on Thursday, accusing the company of flying in migrants as a tactic to destabilise European states, in a new round of punitive measures coordinated with the United States.
The planned sanctions were approved for Nov. 10 and were approved last month. They came into effect on Thursday after they were published in the EU's official journal. Britain and Canada imposed new sanctions on Belarus on Thursday.
The EU government has blacklisted 17 individuals and 11 entities, targeting judges and top Belarusian officials. The sanctions are in the form of asset freezes and travel bans.
EU officials said that the sanctions on Belavia mean that EU companies can no longer lease planes to the Belarusian airline. It was not immediately clear if Belavia would have to return 17 aircraft leased through Irish aircraft companies.
The total number of Belarusian people under EU sanctions is 183, along with 26 entities.
The European Union accuses Belarus of flying in migrants, mainly from the Middle East, and forcing them to cross the border with Poland in a hybrid attack on the bloc.
Belavia denied any wrongdoing, read more.
The EU has accused hotels and travel agents, such as Oskartour, of using their contacts with airlines to lure in migrants to Belarus.
The EU said that President Alexander Lukashenko had agreed with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the opening of new airline routes for Belavia to bring in migrants.
Belavia has been involved in bringing migrants from the Middle East to Belarus, the official newspaper said. Migrants wishing to cross the Union's external border have been flying to Minsk on board flights operated by Belavia from a number of Middle Eastern countries. Belavia, which was already barred from flying over the European Union after the grounding of a plane earlier this year, flies to destinations such as Afghanistan, Jordan, UAE, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.