A senior Belarusian official said here on Tuesday that the country believes the EU economic sanctions against it are not only unacceptable, but also unproductive.

Belarus expresses its regret over the EU economic restrictions, as they will inevitably affect the interests of both Belarusian and European businessmen, the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Guryanov told local media on Tuesday.

Regarding sanctions as a vulnerable measure, the deputy foreign minister said Belarus hopes that the EU will take into consideration the interests of businesses.

Trade turnover between Belarus and the EU countries amounted to 25 billion U.S. dollars last year. Trade surplus with the EU amounted to 7.5 billion dollars. EU's share in Belarusian exports rose by 9 percent to 39 percent last year compared with the year before.

Earlier, the EU imposed visa and economic sanctions against Belarusian representatives in response to "the continued incarceration of political prisoners and crackdown on political activists, journalists and civil society representatives."

According to Brussels, additional economic sanctions will be imposed if the Belarusian authorities don't release all opposition activists viewed as political prisoners by the EU. The sanctions by the EU and the U.S. against Belarus were condemned by the governments of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. In their joint statement, the countries urged the West to renounce any action, promoting equitable and respectful dialogue among the parties.