Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra about the issues regarding legality of stay that Belarusians face in Europe as they are repressed and cannot count on assistance from their own state. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted that consultations are underway on EU travel documents for Belarusians.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noted the need to hold the regime accountable not only for war crimes in Ukraine but also for terror in Belarus over the past 28 years. This issue must stay on the agenda as there’s a causality between the Kremlin-backed repressions in Belarus and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Belarusian leader called for increasing aid to Belarusians within the framework of the Dutch Foreign Ministry's MATRA program and making such programs flexible enough to allow the aid to reach initiatives within the country as well. The Netherlands has been assisting the Belarusian media, human rights defenders, civil and cultural initiatives.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the Netherlands for issuing visas in Minsk (up to 10% of visas are now issued by the Netherlands) through partnerships with other countries’ consulates. The Minister assured Ms. Tsikhanouskaya that the Netherlands would not support a visa ban against Belarusians, as they distinguish Belarusians from the regime.
The Minister invited Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to the Netherlands to discuss effect-oriented changes in the strategy vis-a-vis Belarus and Dutch assistance to repressed Belarusians.
