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Minsk on 26 April: the picture of police beating up peaceful, young protestors is familiar (Photo: charter97.org)

EU will not trade sanctions for embassy in Belarus

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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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

Minsk on 26 April: the picture of police beating up peaceful, young protestors is familiar (Photo: charter97.org)

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

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