On November 4, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of the Romanian Senate, Mircea Abrudean, in Bucharest. The meeting took place at the Palace of the Parliament, one of the largest administrative buildings in the world, whose construction began under dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. After the fall of the dictatorship in 1989, the palace became the seat of Romania’s democratic Parliament.
At the entrance to the building, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met a group of 150 children who had come for a tour. She greeted them, noting how important it is for children to learn about democratic institutions from an early age.
During the talks, Mr. Abrudean and Ms.Tsikhanouskaya discussed Romania’s experience of transitioning from dictatorship to democracy, constitutional reforms, restoring the rule of law, and holding representatives of the former regime accountable.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Romania for the Senate resolution adopted on September 2, 2020, in support of the Belarusian people. The resolution condemned violence against peaceful protesters, supported calls for free elections, and rejected Lukashenka’s legitimacy as Belarus’s leader.
The meeting covered:
- the possible establishment of a “For a Democratic Belarus” group in the Romanian Parliament to develop cooperation with Belarus’s democratic forces and support Belarusian society;
- a potential hearing in the Romanian Parliament on the situation in Belarus, political prisoners, repression, and threats to Belarus’s independence;
- joint public and political events to raise awareness of Belarus among Romanian society and politicians, support Belarusian civil society, and strengthen ties between the two countries.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I would like support for Belarus to go beyond statements and resolutions. We need the issue of political prisoners and repression in Belarus to remain on the agenda of European parliaments. European politicians must distinguish between the Belarusian people and the Lukashenka regime and must not regard the Belarusian people as the aggressor. It is the Lukashenka regime that is complicit in Russia’s war against Ukraine, while Belarusians want a peaceful and free future.
I hope we will be able to establish a group “For a Democratic Belarus” in the Romanian Parliament, too. Such groups already exist in the parliaments of 23 countries. They are instrumental in keeping Belarus on the international agenda, supporting political prisoners, and drawing attention to the situation in our country.
Romania itself went through dictatorship and knows how difficult it is to restore a country to normal life. We will need this experience when change comes to Belarus. And I want us to start preparing for it now.”
