Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Diplomatic Advisor, Dzianis Kuchynski, visited Riga to meet with Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’s Foreign Policy Advisor, Ivars Liepnieks.
The meeting focused on regional security, countering provocations by the Lukashenka regime, and support for the Belarusian community in Latvia and the EU. In particular, the parties discussed:
- the regime’s hybrid attacks. Mr. Liepnieks and Mr. Kuchynski discussed the situation along the shared border; the growing hybrid pressure from the Lukashenka regime, including the orchestrated migration crisis and attempts to enter through underground tunnels; and ways to counter these hybrid attacks;
- sanctions. Dzianis Kuchynski stressed the need to further close loopholes in sanctions, strengthen economic restrictions on regime-linked enterprises, and hold accountable those involved in war crimes and repression;
- border closures. Mr. Kuchynski emphasized that Belarus’s democratic forces fully understand Latvia’s security concerns and the need for measures to control and close border crossing points. At the same time, he called for distinguishing between the regime and the Belarusian people and for not restricting people’s ability to move freely;
- support for the Belarusian diaspora in Latvia. While discussing Belarusians’ situation in Latvia, Ivars Liepnieks and Dzianis Kuchynski addressed humanitarian approaches to legal issues faced by the community, including expired passports and travel documents. They also explored opportunities for the development of Belarusian culture, media, and civic initiatives in Latvia.
Dzianis Kuchynski thanked Latvia for its unwavering position of not recognizing Lukashenka’s legitimacy and for supporting the Belarusian people’s European choice. He called for continuing joint efforts on international platforms to isolate the regime.
