The Belarusian leader spoke at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. She congratulated Lithuania on assuming the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and called for granting democratic Belarus an observer status in the Committee of Ministers.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Allow me to congratulate Lithuania on assuming the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. As you know, Lithuania is not just our neighbor. It is a dedicated ally in our struggle for freedom.
I am grateful to the Parliamentary Assembly and each of your countries and parliaments for the consistent policy in liberating Belarus and sovereign Ukraine.
To succeed, we need, on the one hand, to isolate dictators Putin and Lukashenka, and on the other hand, to support the people fighting for freedom. Sanctions are not a silver bullet but a tool to weaken dictatorial regimes and deprive them of resources for war and repression. They should not have loopholes or exceptions. While isolating Lukashenka, I ask you not to isolate the Belarusian people.
Thank you to the Parliamentary Assembly for adopting the January resolution on Belarus, which calls for supporting the mobility of Belarusians, issuing visas, and strengthening people-to-people ties. We must not allow a new Iron Curtain between Belarus and Europe – that’s what dictators want.
It is time to strengthen cooperation between the PACE and Belarusian democratic forces. This will allow us to not only learn and practice democracy but also develop an effective strategy vis-a-vis Belarus.
We want Belarus to join the Council of Europe. This will be our first step towards integration into the European Union. Meanwhile, please support our call to grant democratic Belarus an observer status in the Committee of Ministers. Let’s deprive the illegitimate regime in Minsk of the right to represent Belarus. I know this is unprecedented. But we live in non-conventional times. And such times require non-conventional solutions”.
