On April 17, the Director of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office in Vilnius, Dzianis Kuchynski, held a meeting with Lithuania’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Audra Plepytė. They discussed support for Belarusians and coordination of efforts across key international tracks.
Key topics discussed included:
- assistance to released political prisoners and migration-related issues, including legal stay and integration after leaving Belarus;
- prevention of Belarusians being equated with Russians in Lithuanian legislation;
- the United States track and coordination between the US, Lithuania, and European partners;
- the situation around the European Humanities University and possible support measures. The priority is the safety of students, faculty, parents, and alumni, as well as the stability of the academic community’s legal status in Lithuania.
Dzianis Kuchynski also thanked Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for maintaining diplomatic accreditation for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office in Vilnius. He outlined the Office’s key priorities in Lithuania for the near future:
- coordination between Vilnius and Warsaw;
- systematic engagement with ambassadors and international partners, including regular meetings with the diplomatic corps;
- deepening cooperation with Lithuanian institutions: the Seimas, the Government, the Presidential Office, and relevant agencies;
- engagement with Belarusians in Lithuania — NGOs, diaspora, human rights defenders, media, and partners.
Other topics of the meeting included preparations for events marking the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, the opening of the Council of Europe Information Point in Vilnius, the Congress on Political Prisoners in Belarus, and the upcoming visit of Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski to Lithuania.
Dzianis Kuchynski: “Together with our Lithuanian partners, we share a common vision on key issues and continue practical joint work for the benefit of Belarusian society. Lithuania has been and remains a key partner for us”.
