On March 17, the Director of the Office in Vilnius, Dzianis Kuchynski, and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Parliamentary Cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka, met at the Seimas of Lithuania with the Chair of the Committee on National Security and one of the leaders of the Social Democrats, Rimantas Sinkevičius.
Key topics of the meeting included legislative initiatives affecting Belarusians in Lithuania. As a result of the discussions:
- the Social Democrats expressed support for not equating Belarusians with Russians in Lithuania’s legal framework;
- a common understanding was reached regarding property ownership rights for Belarusians in Lithuania;
- a dialogue was initiated on preserving Belarusians’ right to participate in local elections in light of proposed restrictions.
In addition, the parties discussed how Lithuania could support Belarusians on the Day of Solidarity with Belarus, Freedom Day, and in connection with the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster.
