On November 3, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered a keynote address at the Berlin Belarus Future Forum, which focused on the situation in Belarus, the country’s European future, and the role of Germany and the EU in supporting democratic change.
Participants included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, Maryia Kalesnikava, German officials and MPs, and Belarusian and European politicians and experts.
In her address, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called on European partners to start preparing now for democratic change in Belarus, develop concrete plans for European integration, and maintain their support for Belarusian society:
“Belarusians must see that Europe is not some distant dream, but a real alternative to the ‘Russian world’. And as the democratic forces, we are building this alternative, too. We are strengthening our international representation and have developed reform plans. We want to ensure that when change comes, it will be systemic and irreversible.
And while today may seem dark, moments like these often create opportunities. That is why Belarus must be ready when the moment comes. And Europe must be ready, too. Berlin reminds us that even the strongest walls can fall. That dictatorships do not last forever. And that what seems impossible today can become reality tomorrow”.
The forum was organized by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, in partnership with RAZAM, Science at Risk, and Libereco.
