Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave speech on a briefing for diplomats at Polish embassy in Cyprus:
“Your Excellencies,
Dear Friends,
I want to start with words of gratitude to our dear hosts, the Polish Embassy and Ambassador Marek Szczepanowski for welcoming us here.
Poland has played an extraordinary role in supporting democratic transition in our country and accepted hundreds of thousands of Belarusians fleeing political repressions and a war.
I am also glad to see Ambassadors who have worked closely with Belarus in the past. Such as my good friend, US Ambassador Julie Fisher, whom I was happy to meet in 2020, and Ambassador of Finland Harri Maki-Reinikka, who worked on Belarus ten years ago. Thank you!
I have words of gratitude to each of your countries. When our peaceful revolution has started, you have stood with us. I am proud to say that we have achieved a lot since then. And we did it together.
In 2020, Belarusians rose up against tyranny, against injustice, and violence that reigned in our country for 26 years.
I am sure you all remember massive rallies all over the country. Belarusians clearly showed that we see our country as free, democratic, and European, not some pariah or Russian province.
As you know, I was not a professional politician. I ran for president because I wanted to support my husband, who was imprisoned by Lukashenka’s regime. And my children have not seen him already for four years. I don’t even know if he is alive.
My only promise was to conduct free and fair elections. And we have evidence that I won that election. However, our victory was stolen. The dictator unleashed the brutal terror that continues to this day. He dragged our country into the criminal war against Ukraine and holds nine million Belarusians as hostages.
Despite that, we continue to resist. Belarusians demonstrate defiance, conduct acts of sabotage, and will never agree to live under tyranny or Russian Yoke.
In exile, we have formed alternative institutions of power, such as the United Transitional Cabinet and Coordination Council. We continue to represent and defend the interests of the Belarusian people. Because Lukashenka is not the president. He is a criminal who seized power and served his patron in Moscow, not the Belarusian people.
And he must be brought to account for all the crimes he committed. And his record is long: crimes against humanity, treason against the state, hijacking of Ryanair flight, deportation of Ukrainian children, and complicity in the war.
Our mission, the mission of Belarusian democratic forces, remains the same. Our aim is to liberate Belarus from the grip of dictatorship and Russian influence. Lukashenka’s regime must be dismantled. Every political prisoner must be released. Perpetrators must be punished. We need free and fair elections under international supervision.
The regime of Lukashenka is much more vulnerable than it seems. It is like a chair on three legs: money, repression, and Russia. If one leg falls, the whole chair collapses.
Therefore, it is so crucial to continue isolating the regime economically, politically, and diplomatically. Therefore, it is important to strengthen sanctions and open cases against perpetrators. Therefore it is important to help Ukraine and weaken Russia, which is the main sponsor of Lukashenka’s regime, and the guarantee of his existence.
When the new window of opportunity comes, we must be prepared. Changes can come suddenly. We don’t know what will be the trigger: economic crisis, military escalation, split of elites, or something else. But that would be the moment when democratic forces must be strong enough to claim power, and turn Belarus to democracy.
And changes in Belarus, I believe, can be a game changer. They would help Ukraine to win the war and be the strongest sanction against Putin. Without Belarus, Russia’s capability to continue the war will be very limited.
I am confident that changes in Belarus would come before changes in Russia. In Belarus, there is no support for dictatorship. There is no support for Belarus’s participation in the war. Belarusians are a profoundly European nation, which fell victim to Russian imperial ambitions, similar to Ukraine.
Supporting Ukraine’s victory is our key priority, as the fates of our nations are intertwined. Belarusians and Ukrainians are fighting the same enemy, and we are fighting for the same future as democratic European nations.
I am very happy to see the Ukrainian Ambassador among us today. I want to tell you clearly: We, the Belarusian people, stand by you! We will do all we can to help Ukraine to win this war. Putin and Lukashenka must be defeated. And they will be defeated.
Recently, Ukraine has appointed an Ambassador-at-large to engage with Belarus’ democratic forces. It marks a significant advancement in building trust between our nations – a trust that Putin and Lukashenka destroyed. It is also a sign that Ukraine distinguishes between the Belarusian people and the regime.
I want to highlight the importance of appointing special envoys to democratic Belarus. Before Ukraine, Sweden, Estonia, France, Poland, and Lithuania did the same. We hope that the United States and other countries will do the same soon.
Dear friends.
This is my first visit to Cyprus. Today, I plan to meet President Никос Христодулидис, the speaker of the Parliament Annita Demetriou, and the Foreign and European Affairs Committee in the Parliament. We will discuss the sanctions issue support for Belarusians living in Cyprus. I will ask Cyprus to stay aligned with transatlantic policy vis-a-vis Lukashenka and Russia.
Though there is no huge trade Belarus and Cyprus currently, in Belarus there are more than 500 companies with Cyprus’ capital, and many of them are connected closely to Lukashenka and his cronies. Some of them are related to repressions and the war. Cyprus could play a big role in identifying and sanctioning them.
At my meetings, I will also discuss cooperation at the EU level. I hope that Cyprus and other EU countries will support not only our fight for democracy, but also our European aspirations in the future. Last summer, Belarusian democratic forces agreed that Belarus’ future is in Europe. It is the only viable alternative to Lukashenka’s tyranny and the Russian world. People must know what they are fighting for.
Last night I also met with the Belarusian diaspora in Cyprus. More than 5000 Belarusians are living in Cyprus. They are well organized here and support the democratic changes.
They have asked me to pass their request on to you to support their applications for Schengen visas in your embassies and consulates here in Cyprus.
It’s important to keep the mobility of Belarusians. It strengthens our ties with Europe. And I hope for your assistance in this matter.
Many Belarusians here are facing challenges with passports and legalization. As you know, the regime deprived exiled Belarusians of the right to vote but also to renew their documents. People can become de facto stateless. I hope to discuss possible solutions with Cypriot politicians, at least to start issuing travel documents to those whose passports are expired.
Also, we are working on issuing an alternative Belarusian passport, and we will seek its international recognition. I know it’s quite an ambitious project, but we live in non-conventional times, which requires non-conventional solutions.
Tonight, I will meet representatives of the Belarusian IT sector that relocated here after 2020. One of them is Wargaming – you could see their office near the Austrian and German Embassies, not far from the presidential palace. My hope is that one day, all these companies will be able to return home and revive our economy.
Dear diplomats,
Let me finish with the most painful topic. As we speak, thousands of political prisoners are behind bars. People in prisons are isolated and tortured, held in extremely dire conditions. At least five have already died.
It’s not just a political issue, it’s a humanitarian one.
I ask you to support our call for the immediate release of all political prisoners. Demand access to them and insist that UN institutions start paying attention to this crisis.
Without pressure and international attention, the regime will continue destroying our society and killing our people behind bars.
Dear friends,
Thank you again for standing with Belarus. I know that the path to freedom can be long and difficult. But let’s walk this path together.
I am confident that together, we will see a free and prosperous Belarus, a nation that its people can be proud of.
Zhyve Belarus!”
