EU diplomats have made clear to Belarus that its decision to let the European Commission open an office in Minsk will not help the country duck trade or diplomatic sanctions, amid a crude pro-EU charm offensive by the isolated dictatorship.
"We told them - do not expect GSP in exchange, it's a totally separate issue," one EU diplomat told EUobserver on Friday (27 April), referring to EU plans to expel Minsk from its Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) on trade on 21 June, in a move...
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Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.