On Monday, April 25, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya started a working visit to Berlin. Together with Tatsiana Khomich and Veranika Tsapkala, she will be holding meetings with the German government, the Belarusian diaspora, and volunteers collecting humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees. Earlier this year, the Belarusian trio of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Maryia Kalesnikava, and Veranika Tsapkala was announced as the winners of the International Charlemagne Prize. The Charlemagne Prize is considered Europe's top political award.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, Ms. Tsapkala, and Ms. Khomich met with German Bundestag’s new President Bärbel Bas. They discussed the unacceptability of any concessions to Lukashenka’s regime until all political prisoners in Belarus were released. They also stressed the need to find and close the loopholes used by Lukashenka’s accomplices to circumvent sanctions. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted that Germany is the leader in the number of MPs who are godparents to at least one political prisoner in Belarus. The Bundestag will soon consider forming a Friends of Belarus parliamentary group.
“The success of these meetings indicates two things. The first is that no matter what, we have been able to stay united. We reunited as the “trio”, which in the summer of 2020 needed only seven minutes to agree on joining our forces. The second is that Germany fundamentally and consistently supports free Belarus”, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noted.
At the meeting with Minister of Culture and Media Claudia Roth, who represents Olaf Scholz’s Chancellery, they discussed support for Ukraine, as well as for cultural workers and educational and outreach programs promoting the Belarusian identity. They also discussed assistance to Belarusian refugees and families of political prisoners, visa issuance in Minsk, as well as document extension in Germany for those who cannot return home. In addition, the Belarusian side was informed that the Lukashenka regime representatives were not invited to the events in Berlin dedicated to the end of World War II.
“We need to maintain Belarus on the agenda. The war in Ukraine has changed a lot. We have to tell the world that Belarus is not Russia, Lukashenka does not represent the Belarusian people. But we should also look for allies who will stand up for our country at a critical time,” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noted.
In addition, the national leader of Belarus met with the Mayor of Berlin, Franziska Giffay, who agreed to look for premises for the Belarusian diaspora activists. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya and Ms. Giffay discussed rehabilitation for political prisoners’ children in Berlin. They also talked about holding the Day of Solidarity with Belarus around May 29, the day Siarhei Tsikhanouski was detained in 2020.
