Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and George Soros discussed the situation in Belarus. Soros noted that he has been mentioning Belarus during the meetings and wished democratic changes for the country, adding that on the first day of the Munich Conference he finished his speech by mentioning Belarus.
George Soros mentioned how in 1997 his foundation was forced to leave Belarus. The philanthropist noted it was the first country to expel the organization. While working in Belarus, the foundation supported various projects in the fields of education, culture, science, and media. After leaving Belarus, the foundation supported independent media and scholarships for students.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya handed over proposals from the Belarusian civil society, the media and human rights defenders, and invited him to bring back the Belarusian program. Independently, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called for supporting Belarusian cultural and educational initiatives.
At the meeting they also discussed the initiative to issue passports of democratic Belarus, as well as Belarus’ participation in international forums and events. At the end of the meeting Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya handed the philanthropist a white-red-white Badge of Honor.
