The Belarusian leader addressed the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the true situation in the country and assessed the prospects of political change in Belarus. Key messages in Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s remarks focused on Belarusians’ struggle for freedom and independence against the backdrop of a dictatorship.
“The regime detains ordinary citizens just for sending parcels of food and clothing. They arrest them because they support those already behind bars. And they punish them for sending donations to Ukraine. In Belarus solidarity is a crime”.
The high point of Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s address was the call for preparations for the future accession of democratic Belarus to the Council of Europe.
“I propose the Council of Europe to start developing a roadmap for the accession of future democratic Belarus to the Council of Europe. We can outline the steps and reforms required and start working on them now. Joining the Council of Europe will be our first step on our path to the European Union”, underscored the Belarusian leader.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also participated in debates on the report on Belarus presented by Kimmo Kiljunen, a member of the Finnish Parliament and PACE. After the discussion, PACE adopted a resolution on Belarus.
Previously, in May 2023, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stated that democratic forces in Belarus support Belarus’ accession to the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe formalized relations with Belarus’ democratic forces by establishing the Contact Group.
