Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has joined the meeting of EU foreign ministers at the invitation of High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell. 20 out of 27 EU member states were represented at the meeting by ministers. Almost all of them took the floor to express their support for Belarus.
In her address, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called for:
– Simplifying visa procedures for Belarusians, strengthening educational and cultural exchanges, and continuing support for private businesses unrelated to the regime.
– Keeping up the support for media and civil society.
– Abandoning relations with the illegitimate Lukashenka regime and abstaining from negotiations behind the backs of the Belarusian people.
– Supporting Belarusians' efforts to defend the independence of Belarus.
– Institutionalizing relations with democratic forces in the European Parliament, following the example of the Council of Europe.
– Inviting Belarus to the European Political Community initiated by Emmanuel Macron, though involving the democratic forces instead of the regime to represent the country.
– Supporting Belarusian activists, volunteers, and fighters in Ukraine.
– Continuing cooperation with Belarus within the framework of the Eastern Partnership.
In her address, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged the EU countries to support Belarusians in their struggle for independence: “We believe that with the withdrawal of Russian troops and the establishment of democracy in Belarus, the war could be ended sooner. The regime is like a chair standing on three legs: repression, money, and the Kremlin. As soon as at least one of these legs collapses, the entire regime will collapse. I call on the EU to act decisively to address the crisis in Belarus. Now is the time to support the efforts of Belarusians to protect the independence of their people”.
