The incident with the forced landing in Belarus of a Ryanair plane flying from Athens to Lithuania, as well as the arrest of dissident journalist Roman Protasevic, provoked a strong reaction from Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
In a post on twitter, the Greek prime minister wrote in English: “The forced landing of a commercial flight to arrest a journalist is an unprecedented, shocking act. We demand the immediate release of all passengers. “
“The Foreign Ministry is in constant contact with the relevant services and the European partners regarding the aircraft that was operating the Athens-Vilnius route and made an emergency landing in Minsk,” the Foreign Ministry said in a twitter post.
“Our primary concern is the safety of all passengers,” he adds.
Earlier in the day, Belarusian authorities forced a Ryanair plane bound for Lithuania to land in Minsk to arrest journalist Roman Protasevic who was on board.
The plane, which was flying over Belarus on a flight from Athens to Vilnius, had almost arrived in Lithuania when it changed direction and was escorted by a fighter jet to Minsk amid reports of explosives on the aircraft, according to the flight tracking website BelTA.
Lithuanian President Gitana Nauseda demanded Belarus to release Belarusian opposition activist Roman Protasevic today who was aboard a plane bound for Vilnius but was diverted to land in Minsk.
Ryanair’s commercial flight was ordered to land “by force,” the president said in an e-mailed statement.
“I urge NATO and EU allies to respond immediately to the threat posed by the Belarussian regime to international civil aviation. “The international community must take immediate steps to prevent this from happening again,” he said.
He promised to discuss the issue tomorrow, Monday, at an EU summit.
Presidential Adviser Asta Skiesgiraite said the operation to divert the plane, which was carrying about 170 people from 12 countries, appeared to be pre-planned.
According to the Belarusian secret services, they knew who was on the plane, which was forced to land with the help of a MIG-29 fighter. Protasevic has lived in Vilnius since November, the presidential adviser said.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
