Switzerland tightened economic sanctions against Belarus on Wednesday having followed the European Union’s suit by introducing controls on trade in certain goods and restrictions in the financial sector.
“The Federal Council today announced further economic sanctions against Belarus. These include controls on trade in certain goods as well as restrictions in the financial sector,” the Federal Council of Switzerland said in a statement published on its website.
The new measures have entered into effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday, August 11, the statement said.
The new package of economic sanctions on Belarus follows “similar decisions taken by the European Union in June,” it said. New sanctions are imposed on goods “that could be used to monitor or intercept the internet and telephone communications.”
Additionally, new measures “restrict trade in dual-use goods and technologies, various petroleum and potassium chloride (potash) products, and goods used for the production or processing of tobacco products.”
As for the financial sector, the Federal Council has imposed restrictions on “the issuance of and trading in certain financial instruments and also the provision of loans and insurance or reinsurance services to the Belarusian government and other public bodies and agencies.”
Switzerland also imposed sanctions on Belaeronavigatsia, the state-owned provider of air navigation services.
