On October 22, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies at a joint meeting with parliamentary leadership and the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs. Participants included Deputy Speaker André Bauler, Head of the “For a Democratic Belarus” Group Paul Galles, and members of parliament from various political parties.
The speech and the discussion that followed addressed the following topics:
- release of political prisoners and an end to repression. She called for continued international efforts to secure the release of all political prisoners and support their families, stressing that releases must be accompanied by a complete end to repression;
- assistance for Belarusians facing persecution. The parties discussed the International Humanitarian Fund, rehabilitation programs, and support for people who have suffered under the Lukashenka regime;
- challenges facing Belarusians in exile. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya emphasized legal documents, residency, mobility, and access to education. She called for implementing the Luxembourg Solutions, a set of recommendations for addressing these challenges;
- Belarusian language and culture. The discussion covered support for independent cultural initiatives and educational projects, as well as preserving national identity amid Russification and repression;
- Belarus’s European future. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for support for Belarusians’ European aspirations, expanded cooperation with Belarus’s democratic forces, and keeping Belarus on the European agenda;
- support for Ukraine. Participants agreed on the need to continue assisting Ukraine, counter Russian aggression, and prevent Belarusian territory from being used to wage war;
- parliamentary cooperation. The participants explored the possibility of a memorandum between Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies and Belarus’s democratic forces, as well as further joint work within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and the Alliance of Parliamentary Groups “For a Democratic Belarus”.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya proposed holding a parliamentary roundtable in Luxembourg in 2027 on implementing the Luxembourg Solutions. She also suggested exploring internship opportunities for young Belarusians in Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya thanked Luxembourg for supporting independent media and civil society, making two financial contributions to the International Humanitarian Fund, adopting parliamentary resolutions in 2023 and 2025, and supporting Belarus’s democratic forces internationally. She also highlighted Paul Galles’s work within the Alliance of Parliamentary Groups “For a Democratic Belarus” and the consistent support of Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel.
