The Belarusian leader is visiting Lisbon, where the Web Summit opened yesterday. It is a major European technological conference attended by about 70 thousand people, including representatives of Belarusian businesses and startups. On the margins of the summit, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, and the President of Alibaba.com, Zhang Kuo.
With Jimmy Wales, the leader discussed the Belarusian version of the platform. In addition to a number of technical issues, she mentioned the role of Wikipedia in the stories of Belarusian political prisoners, several of whom ended up behind bars due to their activity on the platform. It includes Wikipedia editor Mark Bernstein, who was sentenced to 3 years of home confinement. Mr. Wales noted that he follows the situation.
During the conversation with Zhang Kuo, the Belarusian leader emphasized that after the democratic transition, Belarus will be open to foreign investments and extensive cooperation with international tech companies. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also spoke about the prospects for joint projects in Europe with Alibaba.com’s General Manager for Europe, Shen Jijay.
In a conversation with the Minister for Digital Government and Gender Equality of Denmark, Marie Bjerre, the Belarusian leader talked about the situation inside the country and asked for support for Belarusian startups and businesses in exile.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met with the Portuguese Minister of Economy, António Costa Silva.
The Belarusian leader also held a meeting with the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas.
In addition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the CEO of Web Summit, Katherine Maher.
