Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, accompanied by the United Transitional Cabinet Representative for Foreign Affairs, Valery Kavaleuski, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta, Ian Borg, who currently chairs the OSCE, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein, Dominique Hasler, who chairs the Council of Europe.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged the ministers to take urgent action to achieve the release of political prisoners in Belarus and emphasized that this became critically important against the backdrop of Navalny’s death. The leader also discussed the problems faced by Belarusians in exile and Russia’s attempts to undermine Belarus’ sovereignty.
During the meeting, the parties discussed continued partnership, formalization of relations with democratic Belarus, and cooperation within international organizations, specifically in the OSCE and the Council of Europe. It is worth noting that there is currently a Contact Group in the Council of Europe and a Friends of Belarus group in the OSCE.
Minister Borg invited Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to visit Malta and participate in OSCE events. Additionally, the politicians discussed possible hearings on Belarus in the Security Council, as Malta is currently a member of the Security Council and will chair it in the spring.
The parties also discussed ways to hold the regime accountable in international courts and develop cooperation in the UN. At the end of the meeting, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the ministers for their countries’ support in the Council of Europe and called for expanding the participation of democratic Belarus in its work.
