On November 4, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the former Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, in Sydney.
Key topics of discussion included the situation in Belarus, international pressure on the Lukashenka and Putin regimes, and Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya spoke about three decades of authoritarianism in Belarus, the peaceful protests of 2020, and how Belarusians have built democratic institutions in exile. She emphasized that more than 1,300 people remain political prisoners, and hundreds of thousands have been forced to leave the country.
The parties also addressed Lukashenka’s role in Russia’s war against Ukraine, domestic resistance among Belarusians, the militarization of the economy, and the persecution of citizens supporting Ukraine.
In addition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on Scott Morrison to support a possible group “For Democratic Belarus” in the Australian Parliament.
The meeting also discussed opportunities for cooperation with the Belarusian diaspora in Australia, which numbers around four thousand people.
Scott Morrison served as Australia’s Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022. After the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Australian government imposed sanctions on the Lukashenka regime and promoted the international recognition of Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
