Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the meeting with European Affairs Committee in Sofia, Bulgaria:
“Dear Mr. Kiril Petkov,
Dear members of the European Affairs Committee,
Dear excellencies, dear friends of freedom,
It is an honor and privilege to address you today. And I know that I am among friends. Your support, your solidarity, your consistency are really inspiring.
It’s my second day here, in Bulgaria, but I already feel how close our nations are. Bulgarians like Belarusians know very well what it is like to live in the shadow of the Empire.
You survived the dark times of Fascist and Communist dictatorships. You survived centuries of Ottoman yoke. You know the price of freedom, how easy to lose it, and how difficult it is to get it back.
For many people in the western democracies, it is hard to understand. For many, democracy is like air. Only when it is not there, you start to suffocate.
Two days ago, you celebrated Liberation Day. I am also proud that Belarusians contributed to Bulgarian freedom. One of those who liberated Sofia was General Gurko, Belarusian nobleman and officer who fought in Russian Army back then.
Another Belarusian freedom fighter fighting for Bulgaria was Nikolai Sudzilouski, known by his nickname Николас Руссель. Born in Belarus, this outstanding doctor, ethnographer, linguist, and writer fell in love with Bulgaria.
And he was one of the organizers of the April uprising against the Ottoman Empire. And now his name, like Gurka’s, became one of the symbols of Bulgarian-Belarusian friendship.
We have many things to learn about each other. And I think my visit here to Sofia will help to restore the relationship between Belarusians and Bulgarians that was destroyed by the regime in Minsk.
Unfortunately, the situation in Belarus doesn’t become better. Political parties, media, and civil society initiatives have been destroyed. Hundreds of thousands had to flee the country because of repressions. This is how Lukashenka takes revenge on people who dared to demand free elections.
Thousands are still held as political prisoners under the most inhumane conditions. One of them is my husband. My children have not seen their daddy for four years already. For one year, he is held incommunicado, and I don’t know if he is alive.
Despite the terror, Belarusians continue to resist. You can’t see big rallies anymore, but the protest went underground. We see the small acts of sabotage, of resistance. And most important – people did not give up.
After the regime dragged our country into the criminal war against Ukraine, it became evident that Lukashenka doesn’t represent Belarus anymore. He is selling our country to Putin, piece by piece, in exchange for political support.
Therefore, it’s so crucial right now to isolate the regime, politically, economically through sanctions – through all available means. However, isolating the regime we should not isolate the people.
We should distinguish the regime from the people: it’s the regime who became Putin’s accomplice. Meanwhile, Belarusian people are fighting for democracy and freedom, and supporting Ukraine.
For us, the victory of Ukraine will be also our victory. But also vice versa, changes in Belarus can help Ukraine to win faster. Our fates are interconnected.
Dear friends,
One of the parliamentarians, whom I met today, told me: We, Bulgarians, are not just saying something, we are doing.
So, one of the practical results of this visit would be the creation of the group for free Belarus in the Bulgarian parliament. I invite you to join this group, it would be a strong message of solidarity and support, but also an important instrument to strengthen the cooperation between Bulgaria and free Belarus.
Also, I encourage you to organize a hearing on the situation in Belarus in Parliamentary committees. Your statements, your resolutions are also important.
I ask you to pay particular attention to the situation with human rights abuses, political prisoners, involvement of Lukashenka’s regime in the war, and deployment of nuclear weapons on our territory.
Currently we campaign for a European perspective for Belarus. Belarusians want to hear that in the future, after the regime collapses, we will be able to join the EU and Council of Europe. For us, the European Union is the best and the only alternative to the “Russian world”.
I also ask you to join our campaign of godparenthood over political prisoners. More than 400 parliamentarians from different countries around the world, “adopted” our journalists, activists, and teachers behind bars. You can pick any political prisoners, and tell their stories – to people in Bulgaria and around the world.
Also consider inviting Belarusians to have short-term internships in your offices, and particularly, in your committee. We need to prepare the future elite, and we can learn democratic processes from you.
And finally, I invite you to pay a visit to Vilnius or Warsaw, to meet former political prisoners, our partisans, military volunteers fighting for Ukraine – to understand our situation, but also to highlight it in your media.
Dear friends,
Let me express my deepest gratitude for your time and attention. I know that changes in Belarus will need time. But with your help, I am sure, we will be able to succeed. And Belarus will find its rightful place in the European family, as a free and democratic nation.
Thank you.”
