On April 11, 2025, a round table titled “Belarus’ Future is European. Choosing Values over Fear” was held in Prague at CEVRO University. The event gathered Belarusian representatives of democratic forces, Czech politicians and academicians, diplomats, security experts, and analysts.
This discussion was organized by the Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in Czech Republic, led by its Director Kryscina Šyjanok, and Prague Center for Transatlantic Relations (PCTR) with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Czech Republic.
The round table program consisted of three thematic panels:
Defense Panel: Emphasized a democratic Belarus’ place in the European security architecture and ways to support Ukraine under Russian attack.
Analytical Panel: Addressed issues of the European identity of Belarusian society and Belarus’ historical ties with Europe.
Political Panel: Discussed the prospects for Belarus’s integration into the European political space, including cooperation with the Council of Europe and the initiative to create a Consultative Group between the EU and Belarusian democratic forces.
Among the key speakers at the event were:
Jan Marian — Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic;
Pavel Fischer — Senator of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security;
Tomáš Kopečný — Czech Republic Government Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine;
David Stulík — Czech Special Envoy for the Eastern Partnership;
Vadzim Kabanchuk — Defence Minister of United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus;
Dzianis Kuchynski — Diplomatic Advisor to the legitimate president of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya;
Aliaksandr Milinkevich – Chancellor of the Free Belarus University.
The moderators for the discussions were:
Maciej Ruczaj — ex diplomat of Poland, current analyst in the Prague Center for Transatlantic Relations (PCTR), specializing in European integration and transatlantic relations;
Gabriela Svárovská — Czech specialist in foreign policy and security, with in-depth knowledge of international relations and political processes in Central and Eastern Europe;
Pavel Havlíček — Researcher at the Association for International Affairs (AMO), specialized in international politics and democratic transformations in post-Soviet states.
Kryscina Šyjanok, Director of the Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic:
“For us, Belarusians, Europe is the only alternative to the so-called ‘Russian world’. Only in Europe can our independence, our identity, and our culture be preserved.”
