At the Munich Security Conference, the Belarusian leader joined a panel discussion on civil resistance and women’s roles in the struggle for democracy, a highlight of the Forum’s main program. Attracting a large audience due to its timely subject and distinguished panelists like Nobel laureate Maria Ressa, Iranian leader of women’s protests Masih Alinejad, and Myanmar’s exiled Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung, the discussion was moderated by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
During the discussion, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya explained why democracies must not concede to dictatorships:
“I want the world to understand that dictators cannot be re-educated. Dictators cannot be appeased. You cannot make deals with dictators. Some politicians say: “Maybe we have to give dictators what they want and they will stop this war?” But will giving the dictators what they want stop the war? No. I think it will embolden the dictators. We’ll give them time to arrange their capacity and strike again with greater power.
So don’t think that you are dealing with normal politicians. They don’t respect democracies because they see that democratic countries are sometimes slow in making decisions, not decisive, not united. And that’s why they test their limits and cross red line after red line. So what will be the real red line after which democracies will show their power? Or do democracies have unlimited patience?”
The Belarusian leader also called for holding the Lukashenka regime accountable for the displacement of Ukrainian children to Belarus.
