In the capital of Australia, Canberra, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Chief Advisor, Franak Viacorka, met with the Deputy Foreign Secretary, representatives of the Foreign Affairs Department, representatives of the Prime Minister's Office, the newly appointed Ambassador of Australia to Russia (who is also responsible for Belarus), the Ambassador for Human Rights, and the leadership of the Australian Labor Party.
Mr. Viacorka held separate meetings with the Head of the EU delegation and Ambassadors of Germany, France, Latvia, and Poland. He also met with the Belarusian diaspora and expert community.
During the meetings, Mr. Viacorka focused on support for former political prisoners and their rehabilitation, holding the regime accountable through the International Criminal Court, as well as sanctions against Lukashenka’s henchmen, including oligarchs, propagandists, and judges. He called for raising the issue of Belarus at the G20 and ASEAN events. The parties also discussed Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's planned visit to Australia in 2024.
At the meeting at the Department of Home Affairs, Mr. Viacorka talked about the problems faced by Belarusians when legalizing stay in Australia. He proposed issuing temporary travel documents and recognizing the new Belarusian passport.
During the conversation with the newly appointed Ambassador of Australia to Russia and Belarus, Mr. Viacorka called for not presenting credentials to Lukashenka.
Australia has imposed personal sanctions against Aliaksandr Lukashenka, his children, and close associates, including Defense Minister Khrenin. Australia has supported the decision to apply Article 33 of the International Labor Organization (ILO) against Lukashenka's regime for violating workers' rights. The country does not recognize the results of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus.
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