A large meeting of special envoys and diplomats responsible for issues related to Belarus took place at Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office in Vilnius.
Representatives from more than 15 countries gathered there, including Canada, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Ukraine’s Ambassador-at-Large for Belarus, Ihor Kyzym, also attended the meeting.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered a speech to launch the meeting. Here are the highlights of her address:
📌 “There are many problems in Belarus. The biggest one is that people are dying in prisons. And we don’t have a simple solution for how to release them. The level of repression is so high that our scope for action inside the country is very limited”.
📌 “The Lukashenka propaganda tries to convince people that they are abandoned and that nobody wants to see us in Europe. I hope that in your communication, you will emphasize that democratic Belarus deserves to be part of the European family”.
📌 “We are trying to meet the practical needs of Belarusians in exile. Firstly, we advocate for more visas. Secondly, we request recognition of expired passports, issuance of alien passports, and simplified procedures for residency”.
The politicians also discussed ways to hold the regime accountable and support civil society and the media.
