The third meeting of the Alliance of Parliamentary Groups “For Democratic Belarus” opened in Paris today, organized by the National Assembly of France and the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
The opening session featured speeches by:
- Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya;
- Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the French National Assembly;
- Frédéric Petit, Chair of the Parliamentary Group “For Democratic Belarus” in France;
- Artsiom Brukhan, Speaker of the Coordination Council.
The meeting will include the following discussions:
- “Five Years After the Revolution in Belarus: What Lies Ahead on the Democratic Path?”;
- “Testimonies of Political Prisoners”;
- “Roundtable: Are Europe’s Measures Against the Aliaksandr Lukashenka Regime Effective? Should They Continue?”
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “It is a great honor for us to hold the third meeting of the Alliance here in Paris – in the National Assembly of France, one of the true temples of European democracy.
The voice of France in Europe is strong and clear. You defend the European Union from the pressure of dictators and the cynicism of so-called ‘realpolitik’.
Never before has Belarus held such a prominent place in France’s foreign policy, and never has the cooperation between Belarus’ democratic forces and France been as close as it is today.
Just last week, I met with President Macron at the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen. He yet again confirmed that an independent, democratic, and European Belarus remains a priority for France – both as a matter of human rights and as a matter of European security.”
