Today, the Belarusian leader delivered opening remarks at the Luxembourg Solutions Conference. She spoke on mobility for Belarusians living within the country and highlighted other issues:
“Dear President Theodoros Rousopoulos!
Dear Speaker Claude Wiseler,
Dear Minister Xavier Bettel,
Vice-President Fernand Etgen,
Dear Paul,
Dear friends of Belarus,
Дарагія беларусы,
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this conference is historical. Who could imagine that Luxembourg parliament will become a central place in discussing the problems of Belarusians. It’s always been in Warsaw or Brussels, Washington or Strasbourg, but not in Luxembourg!
And here, we have to thank our marvelous hosts, the speaker of Luxembourg Parliament and Minister of Foreign Affairs, for making this happen.
Today, I told Minister Bettel how much it means to Belarusians. Since 2020, you’ve been helping us open doors to various international organizations, supported our initiatives. You clearly distinguished Belarusian people from the Lukashenka regime. You showed our people that we belong to Europe, not Russia.
This truly unique conference can help us to bring Belarus back on the European agenda. And I am glad that it is taking place under the aegis of the PACE. There is no other organization which advocated so much for democratic Belarus.
I can’t thank enough my dear friend Paul Galles for his historical 2023 report on Belarus, which prepared ground for the PACE resolution on the problems of Belarusians in exile. Paul’s resolution is the reason why we all gathered here today.
It paved the way to making the life of Belarusians in exile easier. But is it easier than it was a year ago? I must say it’s not, in spite of all our efforts.
And the same is true, of course, of Belarusians inside the country. People live in the atmosphere of terror, like in Stalin times. Thousands of activists, journalists, artists and students are behind bars. Many are kept incommunicado, including my husband. I have not heard from him for more than a year already. I don’t even know if he is alive.
Belarus becomes one big prison, where no one can feel safe. Getting a visa has become difficult, and for many – impossible. And a visa in our case is not a luxury, it is a guarantee of safety. When the KGB comes knocking on your door, a visa is your only chance to avoid prison.
Even those who have fled repressions are persecuted. Their relatives and friends became hostages. Their property is being arrested. They can’t return home to renew their passports and documents.
The regime comes after those exiles who continue fighting for changes in Belarus. Recently, the regime initiated a criminal case against 250 participants of elections to the Coordination Council. More than a hundred people got prosecuted for participating in rallies of solidarity abroad. Just last week, the trial against 20 Belarusian analysts living abroad was launched. They are tried just because they had the courage to tell the truth.
People are tried in absentia, been declared extremists and terrorists,
Although the multi-year verdicts against them are “virtual”, the consequences are real. People can’t open bank accounts abroad, can’t safely travel. The regime is adding them on the Interpol wanted lists.
An hour ago, I learned that Serbia transferred Belarusian activist Andrej Gniot to house arrest. He was jailed 7 months ago at the request of Lukashenka’s regime for his political activities. We call on Serbia to stop his persecution. We call on other countries to support his appeal to Serbia and legalize his further stay in the EU, where he will not face extradition to Belarus.
Even those who have never taken part in political life fall under repression. Just returning from a visit abroad can get you arrested. Every border crossing is like playing Russian roulette – you never know if you’re going to end up in jail.
Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians abroad actually become stateless. Just imagine what a person feels when their passport expires, and it is impossible to get a new one. The newly born children cannot acquire any citizenship. Married couples cannot divorce, which deepens their hard personal situation.
These are just a few of so many problems we face and they need solutions.
The basic principle remains the same: distinguish Lukashenka’s regime from the Belarusian people. Belarusian citizens are not guilty of the crimes of the regime. They are the first victims of them. We should isolate and punish the regime, but not the people.
Let’s promote the mobility of Belarusians as much as possible. We cannot allow a new iron curtain between Europe and Belarus. It is the regime that is interested in isolating Belarusians. The more contacts between Belarus and Europe, the less stable the dictatorship will be.
We need to make the procedures of issuing visas to Belarusians easier. The United Transitional Cabinet is ready to collaborate on security checks here with all the countries concerned.
The legalization of Belarusians abroad should not be a torture, as it is now. All bureaucracy must be dropped when a human life is at stake. Recognize expired passports as valid, and don’t request documents that can be issued in Belarus only, such as apostille or police clearance certificates. Provide Belarusians with foreigners passports or any other travel documents. This will be a good short-term solution.
The PACE resolution also called to adopt out-of-the-box solutions. The new Belarusian passport, which is in the making, definitely is a long-term, out-of-the-box solution. It would also be a signal to the regime that it doesn’t control all Belarusians. We are taking lessons from the Baltic States who were issuing their passports in exile during the Soviet occupation.
We have to support Belarusian business in exile. Belarusians are hard working people who know how to make money and take care of themselves. Honest Belarusian business can become a source of support for the repressed, civil society, make our movement more sustainable
Last but not least, it is vital to preserve Belarusian culture and national identity. As we speak, Russia is trying to destroy anything that connects us to Europe, our history, language, our national identity. The task of Belarusians in exile is to preserve their language and culture. We have to create Belarusian-language schools, and theaters.
Support Belarusian artists, scholars, creators in exile such as Sasha Filipenko and Natallia Kaliada present here today. Thank you both for your courage to stay with the Belarusian people on the side of honesty and freedom. I’m looking forward to your testimonies.
Dear friends,
“Luxembourg Solutions” – is the perfect name for this conference. I always say that we live in non-conventional times, and such times need non-conventional solutions. I hope that we find them today, and that they will be brave and creative.
Thank you very much,
Zhyve Belarus!”
