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  • Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s visit to Brussels: working group on visas and migration for Belarusians, the creation of the Friends of Free Belarus parliamentary group

    June 20, 2022

    Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is on a working visit to Brussels. At the beginning of the day Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met with the Speaker of the Belgian Parliament Eliane Tillieux. The Speaker expressed her admiration and support to the Belarusians who continue their struggle in spite of repression. The leader of democratic Belarus proposed the Speaker and other Members of Parliament to become “godparents” for political prisoners in Belarus. Many deputies of other countries have already done so – they write letters to political prisoners and help the families of the repressed. 

    Right after the meeting with the Speaker Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had a meeting with deputies, who immediately reported on the establishment of the inter-party parliamentary group Friends of Free Belarus, joined by MPs Michel de Maegd, Georges Dallemagne, Samuel Cogolati. Together with Ms. Tsikhanouskaya they defined the following areas of work:

    – helping political prisoners;
    – lobbying the Belarusan topic in international organizations and parliamentary unions;
    – internships for young Belarusians in the Belgian Parliament;
    – consultation in the preparation of laws for the new Belarus. 

    The national leader of Belarus at the meeting with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson agreed to create a special group to resolve visa and migration issues of Belarusians. The group will begin its work this week and will meet on a regular basis. Issues related to the regime's abuse of Interpol's capabilities were also discussed. The problem is that many Belarusians have faced discrimination since the start of the war against Ukraine. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stressed that it is important to isolate the regime, but also to help people who are fleeing from war and terror. 

    Together with Members of the European Parliament Andrius Kubilius, Anna Fotyga, Rasa Juknevičienė, Thijs Reuten and others they discussed the upcoming debates on the status  of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine candidacies. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya expressed a wish that the final document of the European Council also mentions the European perspective for Belarus. The debates in the European Council will take place on 23-24 June. 

    Tomorrow Brussels will host the International Kalinowski Conference devoted to Belarus, with the participation of MEPs, heads of the European Commission, Prime Ministers of Poland and Lithuania, representatives of the Coordination Council, the NAU, BAJ, Viasna and many others. 

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