Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Parliamentary Cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka, and Diplomatic Advisor, Dzianis Kuchynski, visited Madrid to hold a series of meetings with government, parliamentary, and analytical circles of the Kingdom of Spain.
During the meetings with senior officials from the Spanish government, the discussions focused on the following key issues:
- Support for political prisoners and their families. The Belarusian side discussed measures to support both those currently imprisoned and those recently released who require rehabilitation, medical assistance, and social support.
- Facilitating visa access for Belarusians. The parties explored possibilities for increasing the number of Schengen visas available to Belarusian citizens.
- Cooperation with the Spanish Parliament. In meetings with members of the Congress, Mr. Liabedzka and Mr. Kuchynski initiated a dialogue on forming a parliamentary friendship group for democratic Belarus, as well as discussed further steps to promote international delegitimization of the Lukashenka regime.
- Migration issues faced by the Belarusian diaspora in Spain. The Belarusian side submitted a formal appeal from communities in Madrid, Valencia, and other Spanish cities regarding the challenges Belarusians face in Spain due to their inability to renew or exchange passports. Proposed solutions included improving the issuance process for the cédula de inscripción — a temporary identity document used in place of a passport. The delegation also stressed the need to recognize the political nature of Belarusian emigration as grounds for issuing such documents.
Meetings were held with the following officials:
- Pilar Sánchez-Bella – Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Cabinet of the Presidency of the Government of Spain;
- Luis Fonseca Sánchez – Director General for North America, Eastern Europe, Asia and the Pacific of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation;
- Charles Powell – Director of the Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies;
- Begoña Nasarre Oliva, Milagros Marcos Ortega, Carlos Floriano Corrales, and Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo – Members of the Spanish Congress.
The Belarusian delegation expressed gratitude to the Government of Spain – in particular to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares — for their consistent support of Belarusian democracy and reaffirmed their interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation.
