Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland for the second time, where she raised several important and topical issues, including Belarus’ role in the security of Europe and the protection of Belarusians’ interests. During the forum, the Belarusian leader met with several key politicians, along with heads of major corporations and technology companies.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with:
– President of Hungary, Katalin Novák
In the conversation with the President of Hungary, Katalin Novák, the leader emphasized international support of Belarus. She stressed the need for more efforts by the international community to support civil society, respond to human rights violations in Belarus, and bring representatives of Lukashenka’s regime to international accountability. She also asked Hungary to adhere to the common EU policy vis-a-vis Belarus.
– President of Flanders, Jan Jambon
With Jan Jambon, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed the work of the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Brussels, as well as participation in the meeting of European ministers of culture, which will take place in May 2024. The Belarusian leader also emphasized the importance of supporting the resolutions of the European Parliament, including those addressing the legalization of stay issues faced by Belarusians abroad.
– Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte
The leader discussed the situation in Belarus with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. Politicians talked about steps to bring Lukashenka and his associates to justice for crimes against humanity and the deportation of Ukrainian children. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya proposed that the Netherlands raise this issue in the International Criminal Court. Legalization of stay in the Netherlands and travel documents for Belarusians were discussed separately. Mr. Rutte confirmed that the issue is being addressed.
– Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander de Croo
Mr. de Croo and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed possible ways to support the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Brussels. The leader called on Belgium to put the Belarusian issue on the agenda and support Belarus’ European perspective during Belgium’s presidency of the European Union. Separately, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged Belgium to maintain pressure on the Lukashenka regime while simultaneously supporting the Belarusian people.
– Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Nikolai Denkov
During the conversation, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told the Prime Minister about the democratic forces’ efforts to bring the Lukashenka regime to international justice and asked for Bulgaria’s support in this direction.
– Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti
– Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar
The leader thanked the Prime Minister for supporting Belarusian cultural initiatives. The politicians discussed further steps that Ireland can take to support democratic Belarus in the international arena.
– Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis
In a dialogue with the Prime Minister of Greece, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed the situation in Belarus and called for support for Belarus’ civil society. In addition, the parties discussed the possibility of a visit of the Belarusian leader to Athens.
– Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at a panel discussion on regional security alongside the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba. After the discussion, the Belarusian leader expressed support for the Ukrainian people. The parties exchanged views on possible cooperation.
– Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis
– Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Hanke Bruins Slot
During the meeting, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya emphasized the importance of continued support for Belarusian independent media and civil society.
– Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, Gabriela Sommerfeld
The Belarusian leader called for more active cooperation between democratic Belarus and the countries of Latin America and expressed hope that Ecuador will contribute to this. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya drew the Minister’s attention to the geopolitical situation in Belarus and emphasized the need to raise this issue in the international arena.
– Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Arnoldo André Tinoco
The parties discussed the cooperation of Belarus’ democratic forces with the countries of Latin America, including within the Organization of American States, joint efforts within the UN, as well as support for Belarusian businesses.
– Former Prime Minister of Sweden, Carl Bildt
Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister of Sweden and current Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, expressed his support for the Belarusian people. He also invited Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to visit Sweden on a working visit.
– Former Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin
Sanna Marin currently works at the Tony Blair Institute, which, among other things, advises the governments of Moldova and Ukraine. The parties discussed possible cooperation between the democratic forces of Belarus and the Blair Institute, as well as summarized the results of the Belarusian-Finnish conference. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya emphasized the issue of Belarusian political prisoners and invited Ms. Marin to take patronage over one of these prisoners.
– President of the European Movement International, MEP Eva Meydel
Ms. Meydel and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed cooperation with technological corporations and support for Belarusian media and civil society initiatives.
– Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Arancha González Laya
– President of the Swiss Council of States, Eva Herzog
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya talked about the situation with political prisoners in Belarus, as well as the complicity of Lukashenka’s regime in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The parties also discussed the possible participation of democratic forces in the Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments, which will be held in April. At the end of the meeting, the Belarusian leader invited Ms. Herzog to visit Vilnius.
– Google Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Anette Kroeber-Riel
The parties discussed several topical issues related to Belarus, after which Ms. Tsikhanouskaya handed over a list of specific requests from Belarusian journalists and civil society, including prioritization of Belarusian content over Russian for users from Belarus, localization of Google services for Belarus, support for Belarusian-language content, and provision of Google tools and training for media and civil society.
– USAID Administrator, Samantha Power
With Samantha Power, the Belarusian leader discussed the results of the Belarus-USA Strategic Dialogue and agreed on continued cooperation. She also called on USAID to continue supporting independent media and civil society.
– President of the Conference of European Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt
In a conversation with Mr. Goldschmidt, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya expressed her condolences to the people who have suffered or lost their loved ones in the war against Hamas. The leader noted that the People’s Embassy of Belarus in Israel supports them.
Mr. Goldschmidt, in turn, proposed to support Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s visit to Israel as soon as possible. At the end of the conversation, the Belarusian leader presented Mr. Goldschmidt with a white-red-white flag.
– Financier Bill Browder, one of the initiators of the Magnitsky Act
– Former President of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of Portugal, José Manuel Barroso
José Manuel Barroso pledged to support Belarus on the agenda and agreed to organize informal consultations on developing a strategy for Belarus.
– Yale University professor, Timothy Snyder, who focuses on Eastern European history
– Representative of Palantir Technologies and former RFE/RL President and CEO Jamie Fly
At a meeting with Jamie Fly, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed possible cooperation with Palantir and other tech companies.
