On March 24, during a short visit to Estonia, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya officially inaugurated the Office of the Democratic Forces of Belarus in Tallinn. Vitaly Malchanau was appointed as the Head of the Mission. This marks the fifth representation of Belarus’ democratic forces abroad – following Vilnius, Warsaw, Brussels, and Prague. The Estonian government, parliament, and foreign diplomats attended the opening ceremony.
During the event, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya presented the Badge of Honor to Marko Koplimaa, who is concluding his tenure as Estonia’s Special Representative for the Democratic Forces of Belarus.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also met with key political figures of the country: the Speaker of Parliament, the Mayor of Tallinn, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She thanked Estonia for consistently supporting democratic initiatives, providing financial assistance to repressed individuals through the International Humanitarian Fund, and opening the Mission in Tallinn. She also noted the speech by Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s Foreign Minister, at the UN Human Rights Council session last week.
During the meeting with the Chairman of the Riigikogu, Lauri Hussar, they discussed the work of the parliamentary group “For a Democratic Belarus”, sanctions policy, and Belarus’ role in the context of negotiations on Ukraine. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya emphasized that when making political decisions, Belarusians must be distinguished from the regime, while Belarus must be distinguished from Russia. They also discussed the situation of political prisoners and possible steps toward their release.
At the meeting with the Secretary General of the MFA, Jonatan Vseviov, the discussion focused on the release of political prisoners, support for independent media, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, negotiations on Ukraine, Belarus’ role in regional security, and cooperation with democratic allies in the EU and the US. They also touched upon residence legalization and integration issues faced by Belarusians in Estonia. Considering the end of Marko Koplimaa’s mandate, Estonia will appoint a new Special Representative for Democratic Belarus.
With the Mayor of Tallinn, Jevgeni Ossinovski, they discussed internship opportunities for Belarusian youth, joint events as part of the Mission’s work, support for cultural and diaspora initiatives, and possible campaigns and events for the International Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners on May 21.
