Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Speaker of the Latvian Saeima (Parliament), Daiga Mieriņa, and the parliamentary group “For a Democratic Belarus”.
During the meeting, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya informed the Speaker and MPs about the recent mass searches in the apartments of representatives from the Coordination Council, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, the United Transitional Cabinet, the National Anti-Crisis Management, and People’s Embassies. She emphasized that this occurred against the backdrop of the regime’s “election” scheduled for 2024, which is a simulation and farce.
The parliamentary group “For a Democratic Belarus” has been focusing on expanding Latvian-Belarusian cooperation, supporting the democratic community, and protecting the interests of Belarusians in Latvia. The Belarusian leader urged its members to consider adopting a resolution in support of Belarus and continue taking patronage over political prisoners.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed the new Belarusian passport project and asked Latvian MPs to support the initiative. Participants of the meeting also discussed cooperation within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, OSCE, NATO, and the Baltic Assembly.
Ms. Mieriņa and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed an internship program in the Latvian Parliament for young Belarusians. The Speaker suggested organizing an exhibition in the parliament building dedicated to Belarusian political prisoners. Saeima members also invited Ms. Tsikhanouskaya to visit Latgale, the part of Latvia bordering Belarus which has a significant population of ethnic Belarusians, to strengthen ties with the diaspora.
