During a dinner at the Élysée Palace in Paris, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, to discuss the progress in freeing political prisoners and what France, the European Union, and the United States can do to facilitate further releases and stop repression.
The parties also touched on the issue of the regime’s provocations with balloons on the Lithuanian border and the overall border situation. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya emphasized that while restricting cargo transit, it is crucial to keep the borders open for Belarusians and continue issuing visas. France remains one of the leading countries in terms of Schengen visas granted.
They also discussed support for civil society and independent media, as well as relations with the United States.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the minister for organizing the meeting of the International Parliamentary Alliance “For Democratic Belarus” in Paris on October 7, 2025.
