As part of her visit to Brussels, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in a meeting with representatives of European institutions and the democratic forces of Belarus, organized by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations and the European External Action Service.
The meeting aimed to discuss priorities in support for Belarus.
Key discussion topics included human rights, civil society, and support for independent media. The European side presented an overview of the existing assistance to Belarus and discussed further ways to improve its effectiveness.
The parties emphasized coordination mechanisms between the EU, its member states, and Belarus’ democratic forces aimed at ensuring the practical implementation of European support for the Belarusian people.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “A month ago, I took part in the Gymnich meeting in Copenhagen, and one of the ministers sitting next to me said: ‘We support you and will continue to support you not only out of solidarity. We are realists. We do it for ourselves. By supporting you, we invest in our own security and values’.
And he was right. By strengthening Belarusian society, its democratic forces, media, culture, and NGOs, we are reinforcing Europe’s eastern border against Russian aggression.
This is also a form of deterrence against the ‘Russian world’, which continues to spread throughout the region. We must remember that military power alone means nothing without people ready to defend their values.
The more Belarusians who are pro-European and pro-democratic, the stronger and safer Europe becomes.
So I want to thank DG NEAR, the European External Action Service, and all your dedicated teams for making this meeting possible. I know how much time and effort you put into its preparation. Thank you!”
