Sanctions against Belarus will not yield positive results - Vatican ambassador

April 4, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Sanctions against Belarus will not yield positive results. This opinion was expressed today by the Apostolic Nuncio in Belarus, Archbishop Claudio Gjerrotti, at a press conference at the Cathedral of Jesus the Merciful in Vitebsk, according to a BELTA correspondent. According to the diplomat, the task he received from the Pope when he was sent to our country is to work for the benefit of Belarus and its people, regardless of the reasons underlying the conflict between Belarus and the European Union. "Our activities will be aimed at minimizing the consequences of the conflict, as its repercussions will primarily affect the lives of ordinary people," emphasized Claudio Gjerrotti. "The Catholic Church does not have authority over officials in Europe or Belarus. However, the presence of the Vatican's ambassador in Belarus serves as a reminder to other diplomats that isolation and the absence of constructive dialogue have never brought and will never bring positive results to anyone," said the archbishop, expressing hope that his fellow diplomats would soon return to Belarus. "The escalation of the conflict has only led to European officials not knowing what to do next to get out of the current situation and end it," he said. From a political science perspective, confrontation always tends to intensify. A change in this process can improve the situation and ease tensions. "The Catholic Church does not set itself the ambitious goal of becoming this factor, but it will try to contribute to resolving this confrontation," added the Apostolic Nuncio, emphasizing that the Vatican has sufficient accumulated experience and knowledge in matters concerning such situations, and representatives of the Holy See who were in countries that found themselves in similar predicaments always tried to actively work for the benefit of the people. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Claudio Gjerrotti as Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus on July 16, 2011. Previously, he served as Apostolic Nuncio to Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. This is a diplomatic position. A nuncio is a diplomatic representative of the Pope in a country with which the Vatican has diplomatic relations. -0-