Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with representatives of the European Commission and the European External Action Service. The meeting was attended by the Director for Neighborhood East, Adrian Kiraly; the EEAS Head of the Georgia, South Caucasus, and East Unit, David Cullen; the Deputy Head of the Division for Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, Aymeric Dupont; as well as Deputy Heads of other divisions from EEAS and other representatives.
The parties addressed the situation of political prisoners, urgent support programs for those released and for human rights initiatives, the EU’s sanctions policy toward Belarus, as well as support for media, civic, and cultural initiatives. Particular attention was given to the preparation of the Civil Society Needs Assessment for Belarus and the upcoming meeting with EU representatives on October 8, where this document will be presented.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the European Union for its consistent and principled policy vis-a-vis Belarus. She emphasized that the democratic forces highly value this cooperation and consider European integration one of Belarus’ priorities.
In light of potential releases, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also called for ensuring that all political prisoners receive timely and necessary aid.
