Today, May 28, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the new Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten, in The Hague.
The parties discussed:
- support for Ukraine and Belarus in the context of shared European security;
- assistance to Belarusian independent media so people inside the country can access truthful information;
- support for civil society and human rights organizations through Dutch programs, including Matra;
- the possible participation of the Netherlands in the International Humanitarian Fund to support political prisoners in Belarus, former political prisoners, and their families;
- international accountability for the Lukashenka regime;
- the consistency of the European Union’s policy toward Belarus and the need to keep Belarus on the international agenda.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called on Prime Minister Jetten to become a strong voice for a free Belarus within the European Union, including during meetings of the European Council and other international gatherings. Mark Rutte had previously supported this approach. Rob Jetten responded positively to the idea.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted the role of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Warsaw and thanked it for its cooperation with civic initiatives and NGOs on joint events and projects. The sides separately discussed the role of the Netherlands as a country that can help strengthen ties between the Baltic states, Poland, Northern Europe, and Western Europe on Belarus-related issues.
Prime Minister Jetten confirmed that despite the change in government, the Netherlands’ position on Belarus remains consistent.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “We appreciate that the Netherlands maintains a principled and consistent position on Belarus. A clear strategy is what delivers concrete results. Supporting Belarusians is an investment in the security of all of Europe. And we are grateful for that”.
