...We are writing to you regarding your licensing relationship with “Inter Tobacco” in Belarus.

“Inter Tobacco” is a company owned by Oleksin Alexey, a partner of Alyaksandr Lukashenko, the leader of the globally-condemned regime in Belarus. We feel obliged to inform you about the risks you expose your company to if you sign a licensing agreement with “Inter Tobacco”. If you partner with “Inter Tobacco” you would be in violation of your own ESG policies, and work against the foundational principles of UN Guiding Principles, and ILO core conventions...

The owner of “Inter Tobacco” is a close friend of Lukashenko and his well-known financial supporter. He is implicated in many corrupt practices in Belarus, along with Lukashenko. He and his family own a quarter of the IT company Synesis, who are under EU sanctions because of their close links with the Lukashenko regime...

[W]e would like to ask your company also to conduct a monitoring of fullfilment by Inter Tobacco of your ESG policies, UN Guiding Principles, and ILO core conventions. Also, we would recommend for you to initiate a four-side meeting with other members of tobacco industry (Imperial Tobacco, Philip Morris, British American Tobacco), in order to have a consolidated decision regarding set of actions need in Belarus...