Turkey refuses to impose sanctions on Belarus

Turkey would not join the EU visa and economic sanctions on Belarus, the Turkish Ambassador to Belarus told local media here Thursday. Cevat Ozkaya Nezihi said the Turkish government considered the EU's policy of isolating Belarus unproductive. "We don't believe that restrictive measures and isolation will benefit the relations. We believe in cooperation and dialogue," he said. As Turkey is seeking to join the European Union, it has to stick to the EU's common foreign and security policies. However, the ambassador emphasized that Turkey had made an exception for Belarus. "Turkey has openly declared its position, and the EU understands this. They also see that the relations between Turkey and Belarus are quite special," Cevat Ozkaya Nezihi said. Earlier, EU foreign ministers extended a visa ban and asset freeze against 192 Belarusians linked to what the bloc sees as repression of the opposition. The EU also banned its members from sending arms and riot gear to the eastern European nation. The EU has criticized the Belarus government's treatment of the opposition and demanded it reveal and rehabilitate all political prisoners.