Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is on a working visit to Kraków, where the 10th Open Eyes Economy Summit officially opened. It is an international forum dedicated to the concept of an economy grounded in democratic values. The congress aims to complement economic indicators with intangible principles like social inclusion, responsibility for the planet, and business transparency.
In her speech, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stressed that the future of the Belarusian economy requires a clear and responsible plan for change, outlining the key directions on which the country’s recovery must be based:
“Dzien Dobry
Dear Mr. President Aleksander Miszalski,
Dear Marshal Łukasz Smółka,
Dear excellencies and friends,
For me, it is a great honor to speak in Kraków — a city that is truly a model.
A model of success. A model of democracy. A model of economic prosperity.
Kraków has built its own story of transformation. And we, Belarusians, look at you with admiration.
I dream that one day Belarus will enjoy the same level of freedom, strong self-government, and free elections — where mayors are chosen by the people, and governments answer to citizens.
This is why Kraków feels so close to us. More than 20,000 Belarusians now live in Kraków and the Lesser Poland region — many of them forced to flee repression in Belarus.
Among them are some of the best IT specialists, entrepreneurs, NGOs, and creative minds.
Your success can be seen in the numbers too: The GDP of Lesser Poland region is comparable to the GDP of all of Belarus — with a population three times smaller.
And I believe that Belarusians have contributed to this too, and we are proud of that.
Belarusians come to Krakow not only for its opportunities — but because we share values and we share history.
Yesterday, walking through the streets of this beautiful city, I felt these connections everywhere — in buildings, in the stories, in the spirit of the place.
And in the people who connect us. Two centuries ago, not far from here, Tadeusz Kościuszko declared an uprising for Poland’s freedom — that inspired Belarusians in our own fight for independence.
Years later, another compatriot of ours, Adam Mickiewicz, wrote a line that perfectly describes our struggle today: “For a country to live, rights must live.” That can be the motto of our fight in Belarus today.
The legacy of Kościuszko and Mickiewicz lives on — and it continues to inspire Belarusians facing today’s tyranny.
There are many remarkable people who connect our countries. And unfortunately many of them are behind bars.
Heroes like Andrzej Poczobut or Grzegorz Hawel – who are behind bars in Lukashenka’s prisons as we speak, alongside 1300 political prisoners.
I bow to their courage. And I thank you all for your solidarity through all these years. The Polish people know too well what it meant to live in tyranny. And you know that dictators don’t fall by themselves, you have to fight them.
As Polish Solidarnosc showed us, in the fight for freedom you need consistency, you need patience, and you need allies.
Here, let me thank the organizers of the Open Eyes Economy Summit.
Although, as you may know, I am not the best expert to speak about economics.
I call myself an accidental politician. Just a few years ago, I was a housewife raising two children. But sometimes history puts you in a place where you must act.
I ran for President to support my husband and my people — tired of 30 years of dictatorship. We won the election. And even though I was never allowed to take office, I continue to fight for the change.
People often ask me, “What prepared you most for politics?” And I always say, “Raising two children.” You learn crisis management, how to negotiate — and how to survive on very little sleep.
Dear friends,
Belarus is a perfect example of how democracy, security, and prosperity are intertwined.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Poland and the Baltic States sky-rocketed economically, – while Belarus fell under dictatorship. Together with freedoms, any private initiative got suppressed.
One Italian journalist called Belarus “communism with a taste of cappuccino”. Sometimes, it feels that our country is stuck in time. Where else could you find a McDonald’s right next to a KGB — with a prison for political hostages? A modern Tesla’s parking near Soviet-time Lenin’ monuments? And this hypocrisy is everywhere.
If you don’t look deeper behind walls, you won’t even differentiate dictatorship from a normal country.
Dictators are usually masters of wrapping outdated goods in brand new packages.
For 30 years, Lukashenka has mastered the art of playing geopolitical seesaw.
We often joke that in winter, he was “pro-Russian” to secure cheaper resources, while in summer he suddenly turned “pro-Western” to get financial assistance from the West.
The regime survived not on innovation or competitiveness, but on cheap Russian oil and gas, and endless loans from the Kremlin.
The dictator has traded away Belarus’s independence in exchange for Moscow’s support.
Today, Lukashenka is taking advantage of the war. The regime is helping Moscow to evade international sanctions and produce weaponry for the Russian army.
He profits on instrumentalized migration – takes money from migrants, who are later pushed through the fence to Poland.
Or take recent attacks with air balloons, organized to paralyze Lithuania, and gain money on smuggling cigarettes.
It’s naive to think that dictators, like Lukashenka or Putin, can be reeducated. They will never change, and will continue to terrorize their own people, but also their neighbors.
To stop them – we must deprive them of resources that fuel their regimes and finance the war.
However, while isolating the dictators, it’s crucial to support the people. Mobility, visas, assistance to people’s initiatives, accepting all those who flee persecution.
And I am glad that Poland has opened border checkpoints for passengers in recent days. I always repeat – close the border for goods, but keep it open for people.
I urge you to distinguish the regime, who serves Putin, and the Belarusian people – who support Ukraine, stand against the war.
In tyranny, you can’t organize street protests, it’s just impossible because of terror. But people still resist underground, making small acts of sabotage. We need to keep this resistance alive, both inside the country, and in exile.
Investing in people today means also investing in security. Because military power alone is not enough if you don’t have people ready to defend their values.
Dear friends,
When our revolution started, it was grass-roots. It was driven by civil society, by self-organization, by solidarity. The business community, private sector were at its center.
Thousands of Belarusian startup founders were forced into exile. Today, at least 10,000 companies with Belarusian founders have been registered in the European Union.
The top ten global companies with Belarusian roots together employ around 80,000 people and generate at least $5 billion in annual revenue.
These companies, who opposed the regime and the war, today contribute to the Polish and European economy.
Lukashenka didn’t want these businesses – they are a threat. They are too free, too independent, too brave. But we need them.
These companies not only create jobs for Belarusians in exile. They also support the democratic movement – hiring exiled professionals, funding civil society, advocating for human rights.
They are a huge asset — for Europe today, and for Belarus tomorrow. One day, they will return home to help rebuild our country after decades of dictatorship.
Some might ask how you can influence the situation from exile? We can.
God Bless the Internet! Our media in exile reach millions of Belarusians inside the country. Last year, we held online elections for the Coordination Council.
With the help of our IT specialists, we are building Belarus 2.0. We’ve already built digital platforms that provide education, psychological support, and legal consultations to people inside Belarus.
We’ve even started issuing our own Belarusian IDs — electronic passports – to replace expired ones that Lukashenka’s regime refuses to renew, leaving thousands of Belarusians abroad stateless.
Yes, we don’t have a state behind, but we have people, and this is our main asset.
Dear friends,
We don’t know when and how changes will come to Belarus. But we know they will. Lukashenka is a soviet-era fossil, his time is outgoing, even people around him whisper of transition.
Usually, dictators collapse when no one expects. It was the case with the Berlin wall, with Soviet Union dissolution, or recently with Syria.
Most likely, changes in Belarus will be connected to Ukraine. When Ukraine is winning, Russia is weak, that will open the window of opportunity for us too.
That’s why we need to give Ukraine everything it needs to win this war.
Yes, Belarusians are ready for the change, and the democratic forces and our allies must be prepared too.
When changes start, we must make sure to take Belarus out of Russian orbit. To do that, we need to strengthen our society, initiatives, and of course, the private sector – that will ensure economic independence from Russia.
As democratic forces, we already have a 5-steps plan on how to rebuild our economy and restore Belarus’s independence.
First — structural transformation: privatization of state-owned enterprises with protection of jobs, development of small business. Anti-corruption and institutional reforms — the rule of law, protection of investments, and independent courts.
Attracting international investment into infrastructure, industry, and the IT sector will strengthen the economic foundation. This will contribute to political stability and regional security.
Second — we’ll need to strengthen financial independence: reform of the National Bank, access to international financial institutions, and support for the private sector and investments.
Third — diversification of markets and adoption of International/European norms and standards in the Belarusian economy.
Reforms in the banking sector, privatization, and diversification of foreign trade will create financial stability, reducing the country’s vulnerability to external pressure.
Fourth — energy security: reducing dependence on Russia, integrating into European energy networks (ENTSO-E), and developing renewable energy.
Fifth — building a Digital State Strategy: bringing business and public services online, and using digital tools for procurement, company registration, data, and taxes.
These five steps can make Belarus a regional high-tech economic hub and a center of logistics and production for Europe, including the supply of food and energy.
Dear friends,
I truly believe Belarus can become a success story — a country that moves from dictatorship to democracy, from a controlled economy to an open, European one.
And we have the luxury to learn from you – your mistakes and your successes too. Poland — and Krakow especially — show the direction we want to follow.
I call on you to see Belarus not as the threat, but as an opportunity. Supporting our democratic movement is an investment in a safer and more stable Europe.
And as you discuss ideas at this forum, please remember what matters most: people. People, with their hopes, fears, and their values – must be in the heart of politics, of economy, of every decision we make.
And finally: cherish and protect your own freedom – something that it’s so easy to lose, and so hard to get it back. We, in Belarus, know it too well.
Stand with those who are fighting right now — with Ukraine, and with free Belarus.
Thank you. Slava Ukraine, Zhyve Belarus!”.
