Opinions & Interviews

U.S. analyst on lifting sanctions from Belavia: White House sends a powerful signal to European partners

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 MINSK, 5 November (BelTA) - Mark Episkopos, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft (a Washington D.C.-based think tank), has commented on the lifting of U.S. sanctions from the Belarusian airline Belavia, BelTA has learned.

On 4 November, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the removal of the Belarusian airline Belavia from its sanctions list. The USA has also authorized transactions involving aircraft with tail numbers EW-001PA, EW-001PB, and EW-001PH, which were previously prohibited under the Belarus sanctions directives.

U.S. analyst Mark Episkopos believes this move demonstrates the U.S. focus on developing long-term relations with Belarus.

Sanctions have always been easy to impose, but extremely difficult to lift. This step sends a powerful signal to Minsk and to our European partners about the White House taking strong initiative on driving the U.S.-Belarus relationship forward, the analyst wrote on the social network X.

Mark Episkopos has previously published a series of analytical articles dedicated to the prospects of U.S.-Belarus relations. The expert has highlighted Belarus' geostrategic importance and Minsk's efforts aimed at de-escalation and maintaining a balance of interests in the European region.

In Mark Episkopos' view, the Donald Trump administration recognizes the counterproductivity of the West's approach to Belarus and seeks to invest in stable, non-conflictual relations with Minsk. The analyst believes this is the only correct path, one that will benefit both the USA and Belarus.

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