A
\ntotally unacceptable action, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs,
\nJosep Borrell, said on Sunday after news hit the media that Minsk authorities
\nforced a Ryanair flight to land. The aircraft flying from Athens to Vilnius was
\nintercepted while crossing Belarusian airspace by a military fighter jet and forced
\nto land over an alleged bomb threat. No explosive device was ever found on
\nboard, and the real reason for the flight diversion was the detention of Roman Protasevich,
\nan opponent of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. Aged 26, Protasevich previously worked
\nfor Nexta, a media outlet on the frontline of the wave of protests sparked by
\nLukashenko’s reelection in 2020. Last year, Belarus’s secret intelligence put Roman
\nProtasevich on the list of people involved in terrorist actions. Protasevich
\nwas placed under arrest after getting off the plane. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
EU Commissioner for Transport,
\nAdina V\u0103lean, spoke about this unprecedented incident, which she says will have
\nconsequences. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in turn condemned the flight
\ndiversion and called for Protasevich’s immediate release, saying this shocking
\nact perpetrated by the Lukashenko regime endangered the lives of more than 120
\npassengers. We stand with the Belarusian people in their aspirations for a
\nfree, democratic, and prosperous future and support their call for the regime
\nto respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, Secretary Blinken also said. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In turn, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the action as a
\nserious and dangerous incident, demanding an international inquiry. The Romanian
\nForeign Ministry also expressed its deep concern with what it called an inadmissible
\nundertaking of Belarusian authorities which it firmly condemned. No Romanian passenger
\nwas onboard. Several European governments on Sunday condemned Belarus’s action.
\nPoland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says the gesture is an act of state
\nterrorism and demanded immediate sanctions. The diversion of the Ryanair
\nflight by Belarusian authorities is unacceptable. It is key Europeans respond firmly
\nand consistently, the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on
\nSunday. Lithuania’s president, Gitanas Nauseda described the action as abhorrent
\nand has granted Roman Protasevich refugee status. Lithuanian prosecutors have
\nlaunched a criminal investigation into a possible terrorist high-jacking and
\nthe ill-treatment of people with the breach of international regulations. (VP)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The EU, NATO and the US have reacted to the interception of the Ryanair flight by Minsk authorities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":89053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[35687,40263,40262],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-89052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-alexander-lukashenko","tag-international-community","tag-ryanair-flight"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n