Special report:Worldwide reactions on election result in Belarus
Related: EU imposes visa ban on Belarus president

    MOSCOW, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Belarus said Monday that the travel ban imposed by the European Union (EU) on President Alexander Lukashenko and 30 other officials was "short-sighted" and would "serve only to complicate problems."

    The Belarussian Foreign Ministry issued a statement which said the "short-sighted actions ... serve only to complicate problems in our relations rather than trying to solve them."

    Their comments came after the EU said earlier of the day that it would impose restrictions on 31 Belarussian officials, including President Lukashenko, from entering any of its member states.

    Lukashenko, 51, received nearly 83 percent of the vote in the March 19 election, against 6.1 percent won by his closest rival, Alexander Milinkevich, according to the Central Election Commission.

    The results drew different reactions from across the world. Russia said Lukashenko's re-election was legitimate. But the EU and the United States condemned the election as rigged and backed the opposition's call for a new vote.

    Lukashenko, first elected in 1994, was sworn in on Saturday for a third term in office. Enditem