Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Today, I am wrapping up the results of the first stage of preparation for the negotiations and announcing the second stage. In less than two weeks, we have received more than 760 000 votes in favor of a peaceful solution to the crisis through negotiations. We have gotten our voice back, and everyone’s heard it.
The United States and Germany, Norway and Lithuania, Slovenia and Finland, Sweden, and Austria supported us. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the US, and the EU have all made statements that they will help us make the dialogue happen. International partners tell us that the need and demand for negotiations show the maturity of the Belarusians as a nation. After all, the need and demand for negotiations represent a willingness to recognize the crisis and solve it by non-violent means. This is how we differ from the regime that has destroyed all contacts and connections and forgotten all the languages except the language of violence.
But the regime heard our voice, too. This is evident in the attempts to disable the Internet, block websites, invent fake newsletters, and even organize terrorist attacks. But we will not stop, no matter how many more obstacles and empty accusations the regime may come up with.
Russia has also heard our voice. The negotiations remain a prominent topic in the Russian media. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Belarusian negotiations. This means that we are doing everything right.
Thus, we are beginning the second stage of preparations for the negotiations. We have two possible directions:
- The first direction is to force negotiations.
We know that the regime will not voluntarily accept them. Therefore, our task is to increase external and internal pressure and look for new forms of protest. During the vote on the “Golos” online platform, the Baltic states imposed new sanctions, and Switzerland joined the third package of EU sanctions.
Each of you can contribute to the pressure on the regime. Join the labor movement. Participate in street protests. Withdraw Belarusian rubles from your accounts and exchange them for foreign currency. Support the families of political prisoners. Help truthful information reach all corners of the country. Convince relatives and friends who are doubtful or afraid to vote on the "Golos" online platform. Choose and master the forms of protest available.
- The direction is the preparation and organization of the peaceful negotiations.
Our task for the coming weeks is to work out an answer to two main questions:
Question №1: What will be the venue and format of the negotiations?
My team communicates with the representatives of international organizations, expert groups, and governments. With their help, we will find optimal solutions for where, when, and how the dialogue will take place. Several countries are already offering themselves as mediators, and the OSCE looks like the most likely platform. Together with the head of the Cabinet of Representatives, Valery Kavaleuski, and my advisers, Alexander Dabravolski and Franak Viacorka, we are already holding closed consultations on these issues.
Question №2: What will be the parties to the negotiations?
Our task here is to identify the parties to the negotiations and the negotiating groups. The key to effective negotiations is to choose the suitable and capable people who want to lead Belarus out of the crisis. We know that such people exist.
Of course, we are reminding of our initial demands: negotiations are happening only if the violence stops and political prisoners are released. These will be the main conditions for negotiations. Until then, every week, we will tell you about our progress in preparation.
While we are gathering strength for street protests, your voice in the poll, in the discussions about negotiations, in various forms of protest is the best way to show both the government and each other that we – Belarusians – are ready to take responsibility for our future. Remember, we will build new Belarus together, and no one will do it for us.”
Voting is still ongoing. Encourage your family and friends to vote for a peaceful solution to the crisis on the “Golos” platform!
Direct link to the vote in Telegram: https://t.me/golosby_bot
Direct link to vote in Viber: http://bit.ly/golos-vb
