Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has begun her visit to Warsaw to take part in the Warsaw Security Forum, an annual international platform that gathers politicians, diplomats, experts, and civil society leaders from across the globe.
This year, the participants include the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, the US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Ruben Brekelmans, and the Minister of Defense of Germany, Boris Pistorius.
On the first day, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the discussion “Hope Under Pressure: Belarus’ Democratic Struggle”. Below are selected quotes from her address.
- Countering propaganda
“Belarusians must see that moving toward European countries opens the path to investment, freedom, and respect for human rights. We must not allow propaganda to poison people’s minds. That is why our voice must be strong and confident. Belarusians must know that in a critical moment they will not be left alone and abandoned to face Russia by themselves”.
- Regional security
“It is important to recognize the strategic significance of Belarus in matters of security. As long as Lukashenka maintains his regime, provocations, military exercises, and nuclear intimidation will continue. Therefore, we need to help Belarusians gain independence and freedom from the regime”.
- Joint efforts of Europe and the U.S.
“President Trump can play a truly important role and secure the release of a large number of people. But we also need a strong and principled stance from Europe to force the regime to change its behavior and bring Belarus to free and fair elections. This is our goal”.
The full discussion is available on YouTube.
