Moscow, June 21 (RHC)-- Russian Foreign Minister Sergui Lavrov said that his country is opposed to the use of unilateral economic sanctions as a means of coercion, including with regard to Belarus.  In comments to reporters in Moscow, the top Russian diplomat said his country and Belarus have already signed a joint declaration on the inadmissibility of such methods in international relations.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Belarus, Lavrov pointed to the joint statement made by the presidents of both nations.

The Russian foreign minister said he believes that sanctions will never yield the results desired by those who pursue such aims, referring to a 'black list' issued by the European Union targetting 29 Belarusian businesses.  There are a total of 243 officials and business people from Belarus who are subject to sanctions by the European Union.

Belarus has stated that it regrets the decision of the EU Council to impose additional sanctions on a number of Belarusian citizens and businesses, noting that "European politicians are being held hostages of coercion and blackmail."

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that sanctions, as an instrument of pressure, must be handled with extreme caution.  He said that unilateral sanctions -- outside of the framework of the UN Charter and international law -- only "drive governments into a corner" and do not resolve potential problems between states.

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