On the sidelines of the Stockholm Conference on Belarus, a non-public panel discussion took place, involving diplomats, officials, and politicians from EU countries and the USA. The discussion was organized by International IDEA and the Lithuanian Embassy in Sweden, headed by former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Lithuanian Ambassador to Belarus, Linas Linkevičius.
“Sanctions alone are not enough to change the regime. Change can only happen from within and only thanks to the Belarusians. Some politicians forget that. This is why sanctions must be combined with aid to the people”, said Ms. Tsikhanouskaya.
The Belarusian leader called for assistance to Belarusian independent media, civil society, families of the repressed, trade unions, human rights defenders, and democratic forces’ institutions.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also invited the countries to formalize their relations with the democratic forces. “We ask you to formalize relations with the Belarusian democratic forces, appoint special envoys, and refrain from presenting credentials to the illegitimate Lukashenka. Support the opening of our representative offices in your capitals and create groups “For a Democratic Belarus” in your parliaments, as done here in the Riksdag”, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya emphasized.
