March 10, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held talks with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, at Palazzo Chigi in Rome.
As the Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya thanked Italy for supporting Belarus’ democratic forces and noted that Italy remains a key member of the international coalition supporting a democratic Belarus and an example of European solidarity.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the releases of political prisoners and cooperation with the US presidential administration and the European Union on this issue. She emphasized the need to support those affected by repression, especially those who have been released from prison, and described the work of the International Humanitarian Fund and Belarusian human rights initiatives that assist repressed individuals and their families. She called on Italy to support these efforts.
Prime Minister Meloni and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed the military and political situation and the Lukashenka regime’s support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noted that the regime uses Belarus as a platform for destabilizing regional security and spoke about the regime’s hybrid attacks against European Union countries, including Poland and Lithuania, and how these actions affect the overall security of Europe.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called for continued support for Ukraine and spoke about the democratic forces’ cooperation with Ukraine, as well as the outcomes of her most recent meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “It was a sincere and substantive conversation. Prime Minister Meloni supports the Belarusian people and our work toward democratic change. We devoted significant attention not only to geopolitical issues but also to humanitarian matters and the next steps toward the release of political prisoners. We have many plans, and this visit to Rome will open new opportunities for cooperation with Italy”.
