Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tobias Billström. The parties announced the appointment of the Envoy, whose responsibilities will include relations with Belarusians in exile, cooperation with the democratic forces, and strengthening international ties. The position was taken by Christina Johannesson, Sweden’s former Ambassador to Belarus.
Sweden joined France, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland in appointing special representatives for relations with democratic Belarus. During the meeting, Mr. Billström and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed the possibility of issuing foreigners’ passports to Belarusians in Sweden and reiterated the non-deportation policy for Belarusians. They also discussed support for the rehabilitation program for political prisoners.
“Once Sweden takes over the coordination of the Nordic-Baltic Eight next year, it will make Belarus one of its priorities and will support discussions on Belarus at the EU ministerial meetings in Brussels in January 2024″, noted the minister. At the end of the meeting, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya presented Mr. Billström with the Cross of Good Neighbourhood as a token of appreciation for his special contribution to building relations with Belarus.
