CYPRUS: FORESHADOWING END OF EU SANCTIONS AGAINST

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000712 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/UMB JOE WANG, EUR/ERA RACHEL WOLFE, EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2019 TAGS: PREL PHUM CY SUBJECT: CYPRUS: FORESHADOWING END OF EU SANCTIONS AGAINST BELARUS REF: SECSTATE 112644 Classified By: DCM Jonathan R. Cohen for Reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On November 4, Poloff delivered Reftel points to the MFA's Acting Head of Department for European Common Foreign and Security Policy, Helena Mina. Mina, who previously served as the Uzbekistan/Turkmenistan desk officer during secondment to the European Commission, said that increased engagement with Belarus would promote further progress and that the EU needed to give Belarus "a positive sign." Mina believes the EU will follow a strategy on Belarus sanctions similar to that it employed with Uzbekistan. (Note: The EU lifted sanctions against Uzbekistan on October 27. End note.) Although Mina agreed to take the USG view into consideration, she did not commit Cyprus to support for extending the stay on sanctions against Belarus or for extending the underlying sanctions mandate. URBANCIC