On October 27, in Dublin, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed heads and representatives of European affairs departments at EU member states’ foreign ministries. The meeting took place during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, bringing together diplomats from more than 20 European countries, as well as representatives of the European External Action Service, the European Commission, and Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
The main issues discussed were the release of political prisoners, cooperation with the United States and Ukraine, preparations for possible change in Belarus, and support for Belarusian society.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke about her work with the US administration and Special Envoy John Coale, who is negotiating with the Lukashenka regime on further political prisoner releases. She welcomed these efforts but stressed that Lukashenka must not be allowed to use humanitarian negotiations to strengthen repression and consolidate his regime and urged European countries to maintain a united position, sustain pressure, and raise the issues of political prisoners and repression in all contacts with Minsk.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also highlighted developments inside Belarus. She noted that the Belarusian economy is becoming increasingly dependent on Russian defense industry orders. At the same time, possible scenarios for a transfer of power are being discussed more frequently within the regime. She urged European partners to start preparing now for possible political changes in Belarus and recalled that Belarus’s democratic forces had proposed a roundtable with representatives of Lukashenka’s system and were working on a European alternative for Belarus.
The Belarusian leader also spoke about her meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. She stressed that the outcome of the war in Ukraine will directly affect Belarus’s future. She urged European countries to continue supporting Ukraine and to seek to include Belarus in any potential peace negotiations. Belarus must not remain under Russian control after the war ends.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called for continued educational programs and support for independent media, Belarusian culture, civic initiatives, and opportunities for travel and exchanges. She also drew attention to the challenges Belarusians face abroad, including expired passports, difficulties obtaining documents, and transnational repression. She stressed that Belarusians in exile must be able to live and work normally without losing their ties to Belarus.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “We can see that the situation in Belarus may change. The regime itself is discussing its future, and the war in Ukraine could open up new opportunities for our country”.
