Foreign ministers of the European Union have agreed to impose sanctions on Myanmar’s military over its recent coup and withhold some development aid, as well as blacklist Russian officials for the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny.
Josep Borrell, who is the bloc’s foreign policy chief, averred that the EU would not curb trade ties with Myanmar as that could hit the general population.
He said “We took the political agreement to apply sanctions targeting the military responsible for the coup and their economic interests”.
“All direct financial support from our development system to the government reform programmes is withheld.”
Reports have it that the military on February 1 arrested civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup that has drawn widespread international condemnation. It has since launched an increasingly bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators who have taken to the streets en masse to denounce the takeover.
In view of the development, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States have all announced targeted sanctions on Myanmar’s military leaders, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Meanwhile, despite the growing backlash, the military – known locally as Tatmadaw – has ignored calls for a return to civilian rule, saying it will hold new elections and hand over power to a winner.
