“I am grateful to Minister Grlic-Radman for today's meeting and for the warm welcome here in Croatia. I thanked the minister for his active support of democratic Belarus in the European Union, the Council of Europe and the OSCE.
I also thanked the minister for the support that Croatia provides to Ukraine. Croatia's support is extremely important for our nations, and I am glad that Croatia is taking a proactive position in international politics.
Today, the minister and I, we discussed how to prevent the participation of Belarusian troops in the war against Ukraine, how to help Belarusian partisans and volunteers, to strengthen Lukashenka's isolation on the international stage.
We discussed scholarships for repressed students, and assistance to the Belarusian diaspora here in Croatia. I thanked the minister for the fact that Croatia will be issuing visas to Belarusians, today Belarus has become a big prison and it is very important that people have the opportunity to leave and continue their struggle.
Using this opportunity, I would also like to send two messages to Croats:
- First: Distinguish between Belarusians and the regime. Dictator Lukashenka is fully responsible for participating in the war against Ukraine. While 86% of Belarusians are against the war, and many stand for Ukraine.
- The second. Belarus is not Russia. Belarus has always been a part of the European community, and we strive for it. And we see our future in friendship with Croatia.
Unfortunately, the links between Belarus and Croatia are very little. We know almost nothing about each other. And it's time to fix it. Today we start a new page in our relationship.
Unfortunately, today the territory of Belarus is under creeping occupation, but we can build ties between people. We also have something in common: this is the story of the struggle for independence and identity, the struggle against the dictatorship. And we can learn a lot from the Croats.
Thanks again!”
