Within her visit to Poland, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Sejm of Poland. The democratic forces and Belarusian initiatives at the meeting were represented by Pavel Latushka (National Anti-Crisis Management / NAM), Volha Kavalkova (Coordination Council), Tatsiana Khomich (Viktar Babaryka’s team), Uladzimir Astapenka (NAM), Yury Hubarevich (For Freedom movement), Aleh Talerchyk (ByPol), Yury Ravavoi (Workers’ Movement), Andrei Yahorau (civil society), Ales Zarembiuk (Belarusian House in Warsaw), Maryia Maroz (A Country to Live in Foundation). The Sejm Committee was represented by chairman Marek Kuchciński, deputy chairmen Paweł Kowal, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Maciej Konieczny, and other members.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marek Kuchciński congratulated the Belarusian people in the person of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the entire delegation on Freedom Day. In reply, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya expressed her desire that everybody would celebrate the next Freedom Day in new Belarus.
- At the meeting, Yury Ravavoi spoke about the Workers’ Movement activities and the preparations for strikes. The workers continue their struggle despite persecution by the regime. Belarusians conduct sabotage operations on Belarusian Railway almost every week.
- Tatsiana Khomich stressed that international MPs could take patronage over political prisoners to help them endure hard times. Many of them are kept in informational isolation and do not even know about the war.
- Ales Zarembiuk spoke about political prisoners, Belarusian Poles Anzhelika Borys and Andrzej Poczobut, who had already spent one year in prison. [Already after the meeting, news came that A. Borys was released. She is now allegedly under house arrest].
On-the-ground issues were discussed at the meeting. In particular, the Polish and Belarusians sides talked about the treatment of Belarusans in Poland: in many cases, Belarusans are perceived as aggressors, as people in Poland do not fully understand the situation. A 1.5-year long crackdown created a false impression that Belarusians’ protest is over. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya and the delegation explained the Belarusian Anti-War Movement as the new format of the democratic movement. Belarusians are fighting both the Lukashenka regime and the dictator's attempts to drag Belarus into war. In this context, the Belarusian people need the support of their Polish neighbors. It is important to understand that Belarusians are not equal to the regime, and articulate this to the public. The most serious sanctions must be imposed on the regime, and any relations must be suspended. At the same time, it is crucial to support Belarusans, including those who fled to Poland.
The participants of the meeting spoke about information security and the importance of independent media, such as Belsat and Radio Racyja, as well as the NEXTA Telegram channel and bloggers who moved to Poland. They share truthful information about the situation in Belarus and the war in Ukraine, as well as target propaganda.
The Committee members and the democratic forces also discussed the possibility of creating a center or foundation named after Francysk Skaryna to strengthen cultural projects, support Belarusian-Polish relations, and promote the Belarusian identity.
The Committee chairman invited Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to take part in the international meeting of European states’ Foreign Affairs Committees chairmen and discuss the situation in Belarus and Belarus' role in the European crisis.
