During her working visit to Iceland, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held talks with the foreign ministers of the Nordic countries: Maria Malmer Stenergard (Sweden), Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir (Iceland), Espen Barth Eide (Norway), Elina Valtonen (Finland), and Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Denmark).
The discussions focused on ways to support and free political prisoners, assistance to Belarusians in exile in resolving their migration-related issues, Lithuania’s referral of the Lukashenka regime’s crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC), and support for civil society and media.
The practical outcomes of these talks included:
👉🏻 Appointment of special representatives for Belarus. Iceland appointed the country’s Permanent Representative to NATO, Hermann Ingólfsson, while Denmark appointed its current Ambassador to Lithuania, Grete Sillasen. Norway and Sweden will keep their current representatives, and Finland will appoint one soon.
👉🏻 Support for the International Humanitarian Fund. Denmark and Iceland pledged to contribute 5 million Danish kroner and 10 million Icelandic krónur respectively.
👉🏻 Legal status of Belarusians in Denmark. A resolution was passed to allow Belarusians to stay in the country with expired passports and receive alien passports if they cannot return to Belarus.
👉🏻 Support for civil society. Iceland will continue to support the European Humanities University, independent media, and civil society. Denmark will support the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, while Sweden will fund civil society, cultural initiatives, and scholarships for Belarusians.
👉🏻 Possible support for Lithuania’s ICC request. The Nordic countries will consider supporting Lithuania’s referral of the Lukashenka regime’s crimes to the ICC.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also called for sanctions against organizations and individuals involved in human rights violations. She proposed establishing a coalition of ministers supporting a democratic Belarus, which could be joined by ministers from Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland, and other ally countries.
