Today, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called on Ministers to act decisively and to remain united on the crisis in Belarus. She showed a bullet that had been extracted from the lungs of one activist, who had been rehabilitated in the Czech Republic under the MEDEVAC program, and called for more assistance for the victims, families of the persecuted, and free media.
Following Sviatlana Tsikhanoskaya's speech, ministers from 15 countries asked about sanctions, the situation within the regime, and the EU Comprehensive Economic Assistance Plan of Belarus. Leader of democratic Belarus responded that only joint actions would resolve the crisis peacefully.
Afterward, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi. They discussed the security of journalists and activists in Belarus and how to strengthen the support for small businesses, students, and educational programs that the EU had provided earlier this year.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya and Mr. Varhelyi agreed that it is very important that the EU not only impose sanctions on the regime but also assist the Belarusian civil society. It is not just the Economic Assistance Plan because many Belarusians need help right now – and the EU can provide it.
On the sidelines, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke with Swedish Foreign Minister and OSCE Head Ann Linde, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, and Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. A conversation was also held with the Austrian Foreign Minister, Alexander Schallenberg, with whom Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed, among other things, Austria’s alleged attempt to block sanctions against the regime.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's working visit continues in Brussels.
