One of the key outcomes of interparliamentary cooperation in 2023 for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office was the formation of the Alliance of parliamentary groups “For a Democratic Belarus”. Anatoli Liabedzka, Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya for the Constitutional Reform and Interparliamentary Cooperation, explained the significance of the Alliance for Belarusians.
📌 Membership composition
The Alliance currently brings together members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Belarus and national parliaments of 23 countries: Belgium, the United Kingdom, Georgia, Canada, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, the United States, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Sweden, France, Germany, Iceland, Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Luxembourg, and Ireland.
📌 Implications for Belarusians
– Cooperation with the groups helps minimize or prevent discrimination against Belarusians in legal issues.
– The groups promote laws in support of Belarus’ civil society.
– Friendship groups for Belarus keep the country on the international agenda and support democratic forces in international organizations.
– They facilitate internships for Belarusians in their respective parliaments.
📌 Significance of the Alliance’s establishment
The Alliance represents not just a formal presence of friends of democratic Belarus in parliaments around the world. It offers a framework to facilitate tangible aid for Belarusians and exert pressure on the regime. It brings together hundreds of MPs who care about the future of Belarus and its people. Moreover, it is a robust international coalition supporting a democratic Belarus.
