Cooperation with Russia
What is Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s view on the cooperation with Russia?
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya remains committed to the multifaceted foreign policy. Russia is and has always been Belarus’s close neighbor and working with it is a natural foreign policy priority. The only thing we ask from Moscow is to withdraw support from Lukashenka. The longer Moscow condones the crimes of the dictator, the less credibility it has in the eyes of the Belarusians.
From our end, we are open to a dialogue with Moscow and are transparent about our foreign policy priorities. We would welcome Moscow to discuss prospects of cooperation in a dialogue based on the respect of Belarus’s sovereignty and national interests. It should be underscored that the Belarusian protest has not been about geopolitical choices – it is about the desire to live in a country governed by the rule of law and respectful of human dignity. We stand for good relations with the East and West and intend to develop ties with all our neighbors.
Resignation of Lukashenka
Will Lukashenka allow the adoption of the New Constitution? Is he prepared to resign?
Although Lukashenka declared several times that he is prepared to allow the voting for the Constitution and after that would step down, there is little indication that he wants to actually deliver on his promises. Lukashenka uses this argument to buy himself time while misleading the international community by creating the appearance of moving towards political transformation. Historically, it has been quite a typical strategy for the authoritarian leaders who are reluctant to give up on power. That is why we remain committed to our fundamental demand: Lukashenka must resign.
New Constitution
What will the new Constitution look like?
The new Constitution, the project we are currently working on, envisions a series of changes to introduce the democratic mechanisms contributing to the establishment of a responsible, citizen-centered, transparent governance model. The new system will be a parliamentary-presidential republic, in which the government will be formed by the Parliament, with the president playing largely representative functions.
Sanctions
What is Tsikhanouskaya’s position towards the sanctions?
We stand firmly in favor of the introduction of economic measures to restrict the financial support for the regime. In particular, we are advocating for the targeted and limited sectoral sanctions on production of the state enterprises (embargo on petrochemicals, metal, wood and forest products). In addition, we would like to encourage European banks to cut direct financial support and financing of state agencies, state banks and state enterprises.
Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act (BDA)
Why is passing Belarus Democracy Act so important?
We appreciate the bipartisan support received in favor of BDA. We hope that this bill becomes law as soon as possible, as it would encourage the U.S. to act decisively and urgently to support Belarus. The updated BDA would send a strong signal to the Belarusian regime and the rest of the world on the non-recognition of Lukashenka’s legitimacy, about the call for new presidential elections under OSCE standards, and on demand to release political prisoners. BDA would allow prompt U.S. assistance to the civil society, media, and urgent actions such as countering internet blockages in Belarus.
