Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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269. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has contacted the United Nations seeking it to apply for additional tough sanctions on Belarus. [58405/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland condemns the regime of Alexander Lukashenko for its exploitation of migrants for political purposes.

At the November Foreign Affairs Council meeting, EU Foreign Ministers discussed the escalation in the crisis along the EU’s borders with Belarus. We took swift action and agreed to broaden the listings criteria for sanctions on the Belarusian regime. This broader listing will target individuals and entities organising or contributing to activities by the Lukashenko regime that facilitate illegal crossing of the EU's external borders.

There are no UN sanctions on Belarus. However, at the request of Ireland, France and Estonia, the three EU members of the UN Security Council, the Council held an AOB discussion on Belarus on 11 November, focused on the ongoing migration issue there. Ireland expressed concern about the deteriorating situation at the EU-Belarus border, condemned the instrumentalisation of migrants for political purposes by the Belarusian authorities, and highlighted the need to prevent a humanitarian crisis unfolding.

The EU members of the Council, joined by Norway, the UK, and the US, as well as incoming Council member Albania, held a press stakeout after the meeting, stressing that all actions must be guided by fundamental values, especially regarding the protection of migrants’ human rights.