On the pretext of a bomb threat and applying air safety procedures, the airplane en route from Athens to Vilnius with passengers of many European countries on board was forced to perform an emergency landing in Minsk, where a Belarusian opposition activist Roman Protasevich was arrested. This act bears resemblance to an act of state terrorism.

Limiting the freedom of decision making of the aircraft’s captain, the authorities of the Republic of Belarus posed a danger to air traffic and put the lives of the plane’s passengers and crew at risk. The circumstances of the act have to be immediately explained with relevant international institutions. International community cannot leave such actions without a decisive response.

MFA Press Office