MOSCOW - The European Union's sanctions against Belarus, Iran, and Syria are aimed ultimately at changing the regimes in these countries, Russian permanent envoy to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said.
"I think the ultimate goal of these sanctions is the change of the regimes," Chizhov said on Rossiya-24 news television channel on March 22.
"It is another matter that economic sanctions as such have never led to the change of a regime so far," he said.
"And besides, the efficiency of economic sanctions is quite a questionable matter," Chizhov said.
European diplomats have made it clear that the EU foreign ministers plan on March 23 to ban business relations with a number of Belarusian enterprises and companies, a significant number of which belong to Belarusian businessman Yury Chizh, who is believed to be President Alexander Lukashenko’s close friend. The EU also plans to impose a visa ban on Chizh and 12 other Belarusians.
