Tsikhanouskaya’s headquarters publishes EU Economic Plan for a democratic Belarus; reactions of different countries to aircraft landing scandal and Belarusian response; EBU suspends membership of Belarusian Television and Radio Company
28 May 2021 | Voice of Belarus
Source: t.me/belteanews
Tsikhanouskaya’s headquarters publishes the EU Economic Plan for a democratic Belarus
The implementation of the plan will begin with the onset of democratic changes in the country. The announced amount of funding has become the first publicly announced contribution of the international community to the establishment of a new Belarus. According to the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the total amount of international financing – including the EU Plan, the IMF stabilization program, and assistance from the World Bank and other international financial institutions – will make up about $10 billion for the first 3 years.
Ryanair CEO calls plane’s diversion “premeditated hijacking”
Ryanair CEO sent a letter to the Aviation Department of Belarus, calling the plane’s diversion a “premeditated hijacking”. Michael O’Leary also stated that Belarus had made false statements in its report.
O’Leary claimed the following:
• Belarusian air traffic controllers refused to contact Ryanair when requested by the pilot, after he had been alerted to the bomb threat.
• Minsk airport ground staff prevented the aircraft from quickly returning to the air.
• Dogs were used to inspect passengers’ luggage in Minsk, but it wasn’t put through the standard X-ray procedure before being placed back on the aircraft.
• Airport staff refused to refuel the plane and then refused to accept credit card payments for the fuel.
• The airport failed to provide an English translator.
The head of Ryanair called for the release of Raman Pratasevich and the identification of three persons who disembarked from the plane in Minsk. O’Leary believes that these people are state security agents “operating at the behest of your Government to arrange for the unlawful hijack of our aircraft”.
In turn, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has expressed the belief that Russia was involved in the diversion of the Ryanair aircraft to Belarus.
Reactions of different countries to aircraft landing scandal and Belarusian response
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) decided to investigate the Ryanair incident. ICAO is to provide interim results of the investigation of the incident with the plane by 25 June.
The forced landing of the plane in Minsk is being investigated by the law enforcement agencies of Lithuania and Poland, as well as by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to the head of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau Rolandas Kiškis.
Meanwhile, at least 10 countries have already closed their airspace for Belavia.
In response, the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the UN sent a note of protest to the missions of Ireland, Estonia, France, Norway, UK, USA, Belgium and Germany which had issued a statement on the Ryanair incident.
EBU suspends Belarusian Television and Radio Company’s membership in the organization
The Belarusian State Television and Radio company was accused of involvement in the production of “penitent” videos with confessions of political prisoners. Sweden has demanded that the EBU respond to this content broadcast by the Belarusian Television and Radio company. According to international law experts, airing “penitent” interviews obtained under duress is considered complicity in torture.
The reason for the accusations were the “confessions” by Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega, abducted from the Athens-Vilnius international flight, broadcast on state TV.
