“Dear Lord Mayor,
Honorable guests,
Dear students,
I’d like to thank the City of Aachen, and organizers of Charlemagne prize for hosting this great ceremony. I came here just three hours ago, but I already fell in love with your town. And I begin to understand why Charlemagne chose Aachen to be the capital of his empire.
First of all, let me clarify. The Charlemagne prize is not for me, and not for our trio – it belongs to Belarusians. Belarusians have shown enormous effort and dedication in their peaceful, non-violent struggle against tyranny. It belongs to Belarusian women, journalists, and fearless volunteers.
It belongs to all political prisoners, and Maria is one of them. Yesterday, she received another “award“ – she was officially designated by Lukashenka’s regime as “terrorist”. And I don’t think you often award terrorists. It is quite new for you, right?
It was quite new for us too. Our trio appeared in 2020, and it was not something planned. It was just a moment, when we all felt: it's the right time to act. It took us seven minutes to unite all opposition forces, and we went on to win the election. Thousands of people peacefully marched through Belarusian cities.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that our protest and bravery of Belarusians inspired many. And as Charlemagne united Europe 12 centuries ago, we united Europe again. I couldn't imagine seeing such strong solidarity with Belarus despite borders and political divisions.
Today this unity is as important as ever. It is important for peace in Ukraine. It is important for democracy in Belarus. Dictators are trying to divide the united West, to split the United States and Europe. They are trying to put a wedge between the countries of the European Union. They are blackmailing the world with hunger, migrants, and nuclear weapons. They hope that someone will give in, get scared, and then retreat… This should not happen.
As never before, we need to stick to Charlemagne’s strategy – to stay united. This unity must remain no matter what. Also, stay brave, strong, and principled. Europe must stand up for its values.
I often hear that what happens in Belarus and Ukraine is the fight between the West and the East. it’s not true. It is the fight between democracy and tyranny. But it is also the fight between past and future. Our people chose freedom and democracy, but the past is dragging us back.
I wish our nations to get rid of chains of the past, to get rid of tyranny, so people can live our full life and enjoy freedom, because in the end it’s everything about people.
Thank you, dear friends!”
