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  • Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in an online meeting of the Lublin Triangle

    January 29, 2021

    Today, an online meeting of the heads of foreign ministers of Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania took place. The tripartite format launched by politicians of these countries in July 2020 was called the Lublin Triangle.

    Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya joined the meeting at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba. This is the first contact of the leader of democratic Belarus with Ukrainian representatives.

    At the meeting Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya:

        Thanked Dmytro Kuleba for the invitation.
        Expressed gratitude of Belarusians to Ukraine for the decision not to recognize Lukashenka as the president.
        Thanked Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland for helping those Belarusians who were forced to leave their country.
        Called for more effective individual sanctions against all persons involved in electoral fraud and repression, including Lukashenka. Called for targeted economic sanctions against businessmen and firms, Lukashenka's so-called purses, which will also effectively put pressure on the regime.
        Called not to fund the dictatorial regime and to switch programmes relating to Belarus from state to non-state actors where possible.
    •    Suggested considering the possibility of creating an international coalition to facilitate the transition of power in Belarus.
    •    Stated that she sees a unique historic chance to lay the foundation for lasting peaceful cooperation between Belarus, Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania.
    •    Proposed that the Lublin Triangle turn into the Lublin Four — with the participation of democratic Belarus. This would be historically fair and would create the conditions for better regional cooperation. Tsikhanouskaya's office stands ready to participate in this work.
    •    Invited to join the International Day of Solidarity with Belarus on February 7.
    •    Stressed that relations between Belarus and neighboring countries should be based primarily on common democratic values, mutual respect, and support for common interests, not only on economic transactions.

    At the meeting Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stressed that the Belarusian crisis is a challenge for all countries in the region: “Lukashenka aggressively shifts the blame for his own failures onto neighboring countries. We expect Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania to share the position that any international agreements signed by the illegitimate Lukashenko or his administration, including those that weaken the state independence of Belarus, should not have legal force”.

    Dmytro Kuleba at a briefing after the meeting said: “Without Belarus, the Lublin Triangle is a little incomplete. We would like to see democratic Belarus join and turn it into the Lublin Four. The situation in Belarus affects not only the country's bilateral relations with its neighbors, but also the situation in the region as a whole. Hence, today's discussion with Tsikhanouskaya was held in a regional format. Ukraine consistently supports the people of Belarus in their struggle for their rights and democratic changes”.

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