“Dear Ministers, excellencies, friends,
Радая бачыць сваіх сяброў-беларусаў,
Thank you, President Michel, for your keynote address and thank you, High Representative Borrell, for gathering us today.
This is our chance to talk about the future of Belarus-EU relationship and plans ahead as the Eastern Partnership Summit takes place this week here in Brussels.
Just as we talk, Belarusian police are continuing a raid on activists, volunteers, and election observers.
The repressions in Belarus have become a new normal. Since last year, 40,000 Belarusians have been detained, many humiliated and tortured in crowded or solitary cells, deprived of breathable air, medical treatment, and sanitation. Natalia Satsunkievich, from the Viasna human rights center, could undoubtedly give more details about it.
My husband, one of 913 political prisoners, might receive a 15 to 20 year term on Tuesday.
Despite all this terror, people continue peaceful resistance.
- Media outlets restored operation from exile. Many of them were declared extremist and forced to leave. Aliaksandra Pushkina from TUT.by, Aksana Brovach from the Belarusian Association of Journalists could describe more. We have created a "samizdat" network, with more than 30 print houses publishing up to 600,000 copies monthly.
- People self-organize around grassroots initiatives. Up to 240 NGOs closed by the regime restored their activities from abroad. I'm sure, Tatsiana Marynich, director of the legendary Imaguru hub, could attest to how difficult it is to survive the crackdown and find the strength to reopen. 19,000 people have signed up with the Workers’ Movement which prepares the nation-wide strike. Professional groups unite in unions, such as ByPOL, Belarus Medical Solidarity, or Belarus Sports Solidarity Foundation. Multiple initiatives operate underground by using technology.
Belarus Civil Society will play a crucial role in building new Belarus, but also during transition period. Some grassroots initiatives already operate as quasi-government structures, and will shape institutions and political landscape of Belarus after democratic changes.
Substantial Democratic transformation Is impossible without new elections. Surveys show that up to 64% of Belarusians support idea of new free and fair elections as the solution to the crisis. Meanwhile, the regime denies an evident, and avoid election by all means. Obviously why. It will lose in any fair competition.
Feeling insecure, the regime is imitating a change by conducting a constitutional referendum in February. We won't be fooled. It’s like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic aimed to deceive the West, but also ourselves, one more time.
Two days ago, Pavel Latushka, Ivan Kravtsov, and myself, among other leaders of Belarusian democratic forces met in Warsaw to discuss our united strategy for the so-called "referendum" – to nullify it and use it as a mobilization tool.
What do we expect from the EU?
So, it is the right time for Europe to hold a principled position on pressuring the regime, develop ways to support Belarusians, and show an alternative vision for what Belarus and Europe could achieve together.
Please, stay united. It’s crucial. Don’t recognize the regime. Don’t accept it’s ambassadors. Develop the mechanisms that will make sure that sanctions do really work. Support Lithuania, Poland and Latvia facing hybrid attack from Lukashenka’s regime.
Stick and carrot policy will not work here. This regime understands only the language of force.
Coordinated and comprehensive sanctions can force the regime to release political prisoners and stop provocative behavior. Here I mean not only border crisis, but Ryanair hijacking, threats to place nuclear weapons and recognize Crimea.
Belarusians rely on your aid. I can’t express my gratitude for many years of support the EU was providing to Belarus people. This assistance is needed now as never before.
As a matter of urgency, we need support for civil society and media. I hope we’ll manage to finalize our joint ambitious project on delivering vaccines to Belarus.
In the longer run – we need to see strategic perspective. And such projects as EU Comprehensive plan, Visa-free regime, liberalizing imports of services from Belarus – are really inspiring.
No matter what the regime says, Belarus should and will stay in the Eastern Partnership. We know how to make the best use of it. For example, we can employ the Eastern Partnership framework to help Belarusians prepare for the democratic changes.
We look forward to working together to develop model institutions in governance, education, healthcare, and other fields to prepare for the changes. I advocate for the creation of training programs for Belarusian specialists in European universities to make sure that we will have trained people in place to implement those policies. I urge the EU to support Belarus through the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and the Belarusian National Platform.
Things are changing quickly, and our success will be defined by our bravery, firm decisions and readiness to act together”.
