In a reaction to the interception on a Ryanair flight FR4978 by Belarus authorities, EU Commission President von der Leyen tweeted: “It is utterly unacceptable to force. @Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius to land in Minsk. ALL passengers must be able to continue their travel to Vilnius immediately and their safety ensured. Any violation of international air transport rules must bear consequences.”
In a Communiqué, European Council President Charles Michel commented on “the incident involving a forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk, Belarus, on 23 May”: I condemn in the strongest possible terms the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk, Belarus, on 23 May 2021 and the reported detention by Belarusian authorities of journalist Raman Pratasevich. I call on Belarus authorities to immediately release the detained passenger and to fully guarantee his rights. EU leaders will discuss this unprecedented incident tomorrow during the European Council. The incident will not remain without consequences.”
Germany’s Foreign Minister Maas called the action a “forced stopover”. He said: “The fact that a flight between two EU countries was forced to make a stopover under the pretext of a bomb threat is a serious interference with civil aviation in Europe. We are very concerned about reports that the journalist Roman Protasevich was arrested in this way. Such an act cannot remain without clear consequences on the part of the European Union. We are in close contact with the EU partners concerned. The upcoming informal European Council should also look into the incident. In any case, Belarus must immediately guarantee the security, integrity and freedom of all passengers and release Roman Protasevich.”
The Norwegian government commented: “It is shocking and totally unacceptable that the Belarus regime forces a passenger flight to land in Minsk to arrest an opponent. I call for the immediate release of Raman Pratasevich”, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide said.
Several EU parliamentarians called the action “state terrorism”, asking this week’s European Council to decide about immediate sanctions against the Belarussian regime.
According to the New York Times, the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius was intercepted by Belarus while “travelling through the country’s airspace on Sunday and ordered the plane to land in the capital, Minsk, where a prominent opposition journalist aboard was then seized, provoking international outrage.”
The Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius, Lithuania, carried 170 passengers, among them journalist Roman Protasevich, 26. According to the New York Times, Belarusian air traffic controllers notified its pilots of “a potential security threat on board” and directed the plane to divert to Minsk, the Ireland-based airline said in a statement.