During her working visit to Bern, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, where she met with the State Secretary, Alexandre Fasel.
During the meeting, they discussed the situation with political prisoners in Belarus. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya proposed that the Swiss ambassador to Belarus demand access to prisons and information about political prisoners who are kept incommunicado. Mr. Fasel and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also discussed ways to hold the regime accountable through international courts, including for the displacement of Ukrainian children from occupied territories to Belarus.
They also discussed the issues Belarusians face related to the legalization of stay in Switzerland, including problems with expired passports, apostilles, and alien passports. Mr. Fasel assured Ms. Tsikhanouskaya that Switzerland is open to issuing alien passports to Belarusians who cannot return home.
The parties also discussed Belarus’ possible participation in the Ukraine Peace Summit, which will take place in Switzerland. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted that Belarus is not only part of the problem but also part of its solution.
Additionally, the Belarusian leader called on Switzerland to support the resolution on Belarus at the UN Human Rights Council in the spring and raise the Belarusian issue during the International Labour Organization Conference in the summer.
The politicians also discussed support for the Belarusian diaspora and cultural initiatives.
