Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Parliamentary Cooperation and Constitutional Reform, Anatoli Liabedzka, is on a visit to Chișinău. Ahead of the plenary session of the Parliament of Moldova, he met with President Igor Grosu.
Igor Grosu conveyed his warmest regards to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, with whom he has long-standing professional and personal ties.
The key outcome of the meeting was the confirmation that, following the start of the new parliamentary session in September, the legal procedures will be completed to establish the “For a Democratic Belarus” Group in the Parliament of Moldova.
President Grosu emphasized that Belarus and Moldova share the same strategic goal of becoming part of the European community. He stressed Moldova’s willingness to share its experience of European integration, parliamentary work, and reform implementation, noted that he considers the establishment of the group an important step in strengthening cooperation with democratic Belarus, and pledged his personal support for its work.
Anatoli Liabedzka stressed that the “For a Democratic Belarus” Parliamentary Group already exists de facto. The meeting with its future members confirmed that the Parliament of Moldova has a strong core of lawmakers committed to the initiative, including both newly elected members and MPs with experience in interparliamentary efforts supporting Belarus’s democratic forces.
Without waiting for the formal vote in September, the parties already agreed on the group’s key areas of cooperation:
- Joining the International Alliance of Parliamentary Groups “For a Democratic Belarus”;
- Sharing experience on European integration and democratic reforms;
- Participation by Moldovan MPs in the symbolic godparenthood initiative for political prisoners in Belarus;
- Supporting efforts to address the needs of the Belarusian community in Moldova;
- Coordinating actions within international parliamentary organizations.
Anatoli Liabedzka: “We want the group not only to be established but also to begin its meaningful work as soon as possible. Moldova has already traveled a significant part of the path toward the European Union, and its experience will be extremely valuable for a future democratic Belarus”.
