EUROPEAN POLITICAL COMMUNITY SUMMIT
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya participated in the European Political Community Summit held on July 18 in the UK. She was invited by the new UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. During the Summit, the Belarusian leader met with leaders from countries such as Germany, Ukraine, Finland, Italy, Spain, Moldova, Lithuania, Estonia, Croatia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Greece, Slovenia, Kosovo, Czechia, Armenia, Iceland, as well as the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the President of the European Council, and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Discussions covered issues of security, the European perspective for Belarus, the situation at the border, and support for Belarusian civil society and media.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya urged the President of France to facilitate the release of political prisoners and discussed with the Prime Minister of Latvia the problems of border closures for Belarusian-registered vehicles by EU countries. She also met with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland.
During the meeting with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the UK, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed formalizing relations between the UK and Belarus’ democratic forces. The Prime Minister of Ireland and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed holding a Belarusian-Irish conference. The Belarusian leader called on Ireland to join the international humanitarian fund in support of political prisoners.
VISIT TO POLAND
During her working visit to Poland, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the leadership of the Polish Interior Ministry. They discussed the situation at the border and the legalization of stay issues faced by Belarusians in Poland. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met with the leadership of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, which collaborates with the Association of Belarusian Business Abroad. They agreed on joint efforts to counter discrimination against Belarusians and businesses with Belarusian roots in Poland. The Belarusian leader also met with representatives of Belarusian businesses, former political prisoners, and humanitarian organizations that support the repressed. They discussed the work of the international humanitarian fund.
STRATEGY FOR 2025
The United Transitional Cabinet held a meeting in Warsaw to discuss the democratic forces’ strategy for 2025, including for the regime’s “election”. The Cabinet also discussed preparations for the New Belarus Conference and the situation with the Belsat TV channel, which may be integrated into Poland’s foreign broadcasting network. The United Transitional Cabinet also issued a statement on the border closure for Belarusian-registered passenger cars.
EU BORDER RESTRICTIONS
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her Chief Advisor, Franak Viacorka, expressed concern that the new EU restrictions on Belarusian-registered passenger cars will impact the mobility of Belarusians.
Earlier, Latvia and Estonia imposed a ban on the entry of cars with Belarusian license plates, while Lithuania introduced restrictions with a one-month delay. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya stated these new restrictions affect Belarusians rather than Lukashenko’s regime. The restrictions will not affect public transport, while Belarusians living in the EU will be able to re-register their cars with European plates.
DEATH SENTENCE FOR GERMAN CITIZEN
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Legal Advisor, Leanid Marozau, reported that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office is monitoring the situation of German citizen Rico Krieger, who was sentenced to death by the Lukashenka regime on charges of terrorism. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s team has contacted the German Foreign Ministry to convey the information about the threat of this extreme measure in Belarus. Mr. Marozau expressed hope for joint efforts by democratic countries to save Krieger’s life.
NEW LEGAL ADVISOR
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office appointed Leanid Marozau as the Advisor on Legal Affairs. He talked to Zerkalo and BELSAT NEWS, outlining the directions of his work.
HURRICANE IN BELARUS
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya responded to the aftermath of a hurricane that struck Belarus, thanking Belarusians for their unity in dealing with the hurricane’s consequences: “Your solidarity is evident in this terrible tragedy – you rushed to help the victims and assisted those caught in the storm’s center”.
LAMPA FESTIVAL
During the LAMPA Festival in Cēsis, Latvia, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in a discussion with local youth, described the political situation in Belarus, and talked about dictatorship.
30 YEARS OF DICTATORSHIP IN 30 POSTERS
Designer Arthur Vakarov invites everyone to an exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Lukashenka’s authoritarian regime, which will be held in Vilnius outside the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (Okupacijų ir laisvės kovų muziejus) from July 24 to August 24. The exhibition will feature 30 large-format posters depicting the horrifying outcomes of the dictator’s rule in various spheres of life in Belarus.
MEDIA
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was interviewed by FREEDOM Liudy Dobroi Voly і FREEDOM (Ukraine), NATO Youtube channel (USA), LSM (Latvia), AP (International), Delfi (Estonia), Rzeczpospolita (Poland), Current Time, and Chayka (Latvia). In addition, news reports were released on Belsat (Belarus), TVN24 and Poskie Radio 24l (Poland), as well as LR4 (Latvia).
