During her visit to Estonia, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Education and Research, Kristina Kallas, Minister of Culture, Heidy Purga, and Minister of the Interior, Lauri Läänemets.
With the Minister of the Interior, Lauri Läänemets, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed the following issues:
- Legalization of stay issues faced by Belarusians in Estonia;
- Draft guidelines for migration authorities in Estonia on handling Belarusian cases;
- Visas and residence permits for students;
- Alien passports.
Discussions with the Minister of Education, Kristina Kallas, focused on:
- Additional scholarships for Belarusian students;
- Possible Belarusian language and history classes in some Tallinn schools;
- A potential hall named after Anton Luckievich, the first Prime Minister of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, who studied at the University of Tartu.
With the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed:
- The so-called “presidential election” in Belarus. Estonia has preemptively declared it will not recognize the campaign;
- Support for Lithuania’s referral of the Lukashenka regime’s crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court;
- Increased pressure on the regime, including comprehensive sanctions for human rights violations;
- Support for the democratic forces of Belarus;
- Contributions to the International Humanitarian Fund. The Estonian authorities have committed to allocating funds to support political prisoners in Belarus.
With the Minister of Culture, Heidy Purga, discussions covered:
- Translation of Belarusian literature into Estonian;
- Joint cultural events;
- Support programs for Belarusian actors and students;
- An exhibition by Vladimir Tsesler in Estonia.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also presented the Cross of Good Neighborhood – the highest award of the democratic forces of Belarus – to Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna.
