On November 4, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held talks with the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, in Bucharest. The meeting took place at Cotroceni Palace, the presidential residence. The parties discussed the release of political prisoners in Belarus, regional security, EU sanctions policy, assistance for Belarusians, and cooperation with democratic forces.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked President Dan for inviting her to Bucharest and for Romania’s consistent support for the Belarusian people since 2020. She highlighted Romania’s position on sanctions against the Lukashenka regime, assistance programs for Belarusians, the work of the Romanian Embassy in Vilnius, and its continued attention to the fate of political prisoners.
She recalled that Romania, together with Poland and Lithuania, had launched an initiative to support democratic transformation in Belarus. This idea was later reflected in the EU’s Comprehensive Plan to support a democratic Belarus after change.
President Dan and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed:
- regional security and the war in Ukraine. The sides discussed Belarus’s role in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the presence of Russian troops and weapons on Belarusian territory, and hybrid threats posed by Russia and the Lukashenka regime;
- European Union sanctions policy. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for maintaining pressure on the regime until it ends repression, releases all political prisoners, and stops supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine;
- the future of a democratic Belarus. The sides discussed how Romania’s experience of democratic transformation after 1989 could be applied in Belarus, including reforming state institutions, restoring the rule of law, and pursuing European integration;
- support for Ukraine. Mr. Dan and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya addressed continued assistance to Ukraine, agreeing that the Belarusian issue must be taken into account in future negotiations on peace and security in the region;
- assistance for Belarusians in exile. The sides addressed residence status, access to education, scholarships, and support for Belarusian students;
- civil society and independent media. They discussed support for Belarusian civic initiatives and independent journalism, countering propaganda, and ensuring that Belarusians have access to truthful information;
- international cooperation. The sides explored opportunities for further cooperation through the Three Seas Initiative, the European Political Community, the Central European Initiative, and the Council of the European Union;
- release of political prisoners and assistance for the repressed. They discussed the possibility of Romania joining the International Humanitarian Fund that supports political prisoners and individuals repressed in Belarus;
- cooperation with Belarus’s democratic forces. The parties discussed the possibility of appointing a special representative for relations with Belarus’s democratic forces.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stressed that a democratic and independent Belarus is in the security interests of Europe as a whole, including Romania and the Black Sea region.
This was Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s first meeting with Nicușor Dan in Bucharest. They had previously met in Dubrovnik in April, Yerevan in May, and New York in September.
