On February 16, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the ceremony of raising the Baltic States’ flags in Vilnius at the invitation of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda. The ceremony was joined by Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, Speaker of the Seimas Viktoria Čmilytė-Nielsen, Lithuanian politicians, and the diplomatic corps.
On February 16, 1918, in Vilnius, the Lithuanian Taryba (Council) announced the restoration of Lithuania’s Independent State. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya congratulated Lithuanians on holiday and thanked them for supporting Belarusians in the difficult struggle for freedom.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Today, I congratulate the Lithuanian people on the holiday of Lithuania’s independent state restoration. Belarusians are well aware of the value of independence and their own state. We fought for it for a long time and our people, like the people of Lithuania, suffered a lot in that struggle. I would like to thank Lithuania and Lithuanians for supporting us and standing with us in our difficult times. I know and feel this solidarity and respect from the Lithuanians, and this is mutual”.
