October was a busy month of international meetings and important decisions affecting Belarusians. The priorities included securing the release of political prisoners, holding the Lukashenka regime accountable for its crimes, supporting Belarusian culture, and addressing the practical challenges faced by Belarusians in exile.
Below are the key developments of the month.
- Visit to Ireland. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Foreign Minister Helen McEntee, and ambassadors and diplomats. She also delivered opening remarks at the “Ireland–Belarus: National and Cultural Identities” Conference.
- Visit to Estonia. She held meetings with President Ülle Madise, Riigikogu (Parliament) President Lauri Hussar, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, Culture Minister Heidy Purga, Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Marko Mihkelson, and other counties’ special envoys for Belarus.
- Warsaw Security Forum. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya held several meetings and took part in panel discussions on regional security and the threat posed by Russia.
- Visit to Luxembourg. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the country’s Chamber of Deputies, met with parliamentary leaders, and attended a screening of “Not Made for Politics”.
- International forums. The Belarusian leader spoke at the Vilnius Freedom Forum and an OSCE event in Warsaw.
- Visas for family members of Belarusians in Czechia. The government of the Czech Republic approved changes allowing close relatives of Belarusians living in the country to apply for short-stay visas.
- Simplified legal procedures in Ireland. Ireland allowed Belarusians to renew their residence permits with expired passports.
- Meetings with Belarusians. These included a meeting with the Belarusian community in Czechia, individual conversations, and meetings with representatives of civil society and cultural initiatives.
- Social support for Belarusians in Ukraine. The Mission of the Democratic Forces of Belarus in Ukraine launched a social support service for Belarusians.
- The Night of the Executed Poets. Events commemorating Belarusian cultural figures murdered by the Soviet regime were held in several countries.
- Dzianis Kuchynski’s meetings. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Diplomatic Advisor met with Paweł Graś and Ambassador Sebastian Kęciek in Poland, held talks with representatives of the Nordic–Baltic Eight, and met with Venezuela’s Pedro Urruchurtu.
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