In March, the topic was raised during consultations in Ljubljana by Valery Kavaleuski, head of the Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Cabinet of Representatives. In May, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya returned to the issue during a working visit to Slovenia.
Janez Shkrabec has been the honorary consul of Belarus in Slovenia since 2014. His company RIKO has concluded more than 40 contracts with the largest Belarusian state-owned enterprises totaling more than 310 million euros. The company is a leading one in Belarus. Slovenian mass media have repeatedly written about Shkrabec's lobbying of the Belarusian regime's interests, blocking EU sanctions by Slovenia, and assistance in removing under sanctions “Lukashenka purses”. Since the summer of 2020, Janez Shkrabec has never condemned violations of the rights of Belarusians and continued to be the honorary consul of Belarus.
Slovenia has now withdrawn its consent to the Belarusian consulate in Ljubljana. The US Department of State has also taken a close look at Janez Shkrabec, and media reports indicate that he may be on the list of people the United States will sanction.
Valery Kavaleuki: “This is a serious sign for all representatives of the regime. You cannot represent Belarus if you act against the Belarusians themselves. Justice and legality will return to our country, and this decision is one of the steps on this path”.
