On December 12, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno, at the Office in Vilnius. The parties discussed the current situation of political prisoners in Belarus, regional security, and the role of the European Union in countering authoritarianism.
They also discussed the Third Cross-Party Forum “8+100”, scheduled to take place on March 3–4 at the European Parliament, where representatives of 8 Belarusian and 100 European political parties are expected to participate. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya invited Pina Picierno to join the forum and support the engagement of a larger number of MEPs.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya proposed continuing the practice of symbolic godparenthood for political prisoners and organizing a Congress of Political Prisoners’ Godparents in Berlin to make this mechanism more effective.
In addition, the meeting covered support for Belarus’ European perspective and the preparation of a roadmap for closer cooperation with the EU and the Council of Europe.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Pina Picierno for her consistent support for Belarus, including her participation in the opening of the Belarusian Democratic Community Center and shelter in Florence, as well as for her personal solidarity with political prisoners.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “The support of partners like Pina Picierno helps keep Belarus in the focus of European politics and serves as a reminder that without a free Belarus, there can be no secure Europe”.
