Hungary's foreign minister discusses expanding ties with Belarus despite EU sanctions

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that fewer sanctions mean more cooperation. The European Union put many sanctions on Belarus because of the repression that happened after protests following the 2020 presidential election. The opposition and the West believed the election was unfair. Belarus became more isolated after its President, Alexander Lukashenko, allowed Russian troops to invade Ukraine from Belarus in February 2022. Szijjártó thinks sanctions don't help, but Hungary is increasing cooperation with Belarus in areas not affected by sanctions. They signed an agreement to work together on nuclear energy, which includes training and managing radioactive waste. This agreement allows Hungary to learn from Belarus' experience in building reactors with similar technology. The situation in Belarus led to many protests and a harsh crackdown by Lukashenko's government. Thousands of people were arrested and beaten by the police. There are about 1,400 political prisoners in Belarus, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya criticized Szijjártó for visiting Belarus despite the EU sanctions, calling it unacceptable and immoral.