NATO SUMMIT. On July 11-12, NATO will hold a summit in Vilnius. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will participate in several summit events. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya initiated two side events on Belarus to discuss the significance of Belarus for transatlantic security and the placement of nuclear weapons in Belarus.
VISIT TO ITALY. On July 5-7, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Rome, where she met with the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, MPs and Vice Presidents of the Parliament chambers, trade unions, representatives of the Association of Women in International Security, the expert community, and the media. The Belarusian leader addressed the Italian Senate, the Senate Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and briefed ambassadors and diplomats of more than 40 countries. The visit resulted in the establishment of the group For Democratic Belarus in the Italian Parliament, which was joined by 38 MPs and became the largest such group in the world. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya took part in the launch of the group and thanked its members. Read more about the results of the visit here.
OSCE RESOLUTION. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution on Belarus, strongly condemning the Belarusian authorities for approving the construction of a military base for the Wagner PMC in Belarus, which “poses a threat to all Baltic States.” This resolution is, among other things, the result of the international efforts of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
SOLIDARITY WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented on the verdict for Eduard Babaryka: “This sentence is for Eduard's father, who never had the chance to appear in court. Eduard has not heard from him since April 26 and does not know whether he is even alive. I am confident that young and talented people like Eduard Babaryka are the future of the new Belarus”.
The regime released a video showing Siarhei Tsikhanouski after 4 months of no news from Siarhei. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented: “It fills my heart with relief to see my husband, Siarhei, alive and strong. Now that he has been shown let us see Viktar Babaryka, Maryia Kalesnikava, Mikalai Statkevich, Maksim Znak, Pavel Seviarynets, Ihar Losik, Volha Mayorava, and everyone else held incommunicado. Lawyers must be granted access to all political prisoners”.
BELARUS-POLAND. From July 2023, Belarusians in Poland will be able to obtain travel documents through a simplified procedure. Kristina Rikhter, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, explained the changes.
BELARUSIAN CULTURE. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya attended the premiere of the theater production “Tikharі” in Vilnius. The show was based on a play by Sasha Filipenko, a contemporary Belarusian writer. The Belarusian leader thanked the actors, the director, the producer, the Vilnius Old Theatre, and the entire team for their exquisite work. She also expressed the hope that the play will appear in many theaters worldwide and definitely in a free Belarus.
On July 7, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya joined the 2023 Days of Belarusian Culture campaign. She recorded a video urging Belarusians to read Belarusian literature and listen to Belarusian music, take pride in their country and culture, and spread the word about Belarus. The campaign was themed “Tell Belarus” and promoted its activities through the belarusis.art website and the New Belarus application.
ATLANTIC COUNCIL ADDRESS. On July 5, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at a discussion on Belarus at the Atlantic Council. In her speech, she outlined the steps Belarusians expect from the international community: “We want to hear from the West: the world stands for independent and democratic Belarus. Belarus is a part of Europe. We will not allow Russia to occupy Belarus. Russian nuclear weapons must be taken away from Belarus immediately. This would be the message we want to hear”. Watch the recording of the Atlantic Council discussions at the link.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BELARUSIANS. The Office’s education team released a new issue of the Asveta digest, compiling international opportunities for Belarusian students and researchers.
EDUCATION IN BELARUS. Ideas Bank released an analytical review of the PISA 2018 monitoring study, as well as recommendations developed by Ihar Varaksa, ex-principal of the BSU Lyceum, and school education consultant at Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office. Read the review in Russian: https://www.ideasbank.vision/projects/24
OFFICE VOLUNTEERS. The Office’s volunteers released an interview with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Press Secretary, Anna Krasulina. In the interview, Anna talks about the Office’s work with the media, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya's interviews, and the Office’s decision-making process regarding its official positions.
POLICY BRIEFS. The Oxford Belarus Observatory, in partnership with the Research Center of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office and the Institute for Global Sustainable Development at the University of Warwick, compiled policy-briefs on the following subjects: 1) “Resillient Autocracies: What Can We Learn about Their Defeat?”; 2) “China, Belarus and Russia: A Geopolitical Triangle?”; 3) “The EU Approach to Belarus in the Context of the Wider Neighborhood: Is There a Strategy?”
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to Washington Post (USA), Times Radio (UK, international), NBC (USA), Semafor Outlet (international), Helsingin Sanomat (Finland), Belsat (Belarus), DW (1, 2) (Germany), Channel 4 (UK), LBC's flagship political program Tonight with Andrew Marr (1, 2) (UK), and TBS (Japan).
