The special Representative of the American President Donald Trump, John Cole, at a meeting with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, confirmed the lifting of sanctions related to the Belavia airline. Moreover, as reported today, September 11, TASS, Washington wants to reopen the embassy in Belarus.
"This decision was made by the president, who said, 'Do it immediately.' In relation to Belavia. Now the decision, which has already been approved, has been taken by all relevant ministries and departments involved in this work," Cole said.
Trump's envoy particularly emphasized Washington's intention to normalize bilateral US-Belarusian relations. He also gave Lukashenka a gift from Trump — cufflinks depicting the White House.
The US decision was commented on by the airline itself. According to its general director Gleb Parkhamovich, Belavia has not yet received official documents, so it is premature to give any assessment.
"We can't give any comments until we see the official documents. We don't even know what it says. There are a lot of sanctions, and it's hard to say what it concerns. We will evaluate it and after that we will make decisions," he said.
EADaily reminds that even if the US sanctions are lifted from Belavia, restrictive measures from London, Tokyo and Brussels will remain in force.