Svetlana Tsikhanovskaya and her deputy Valery Kovalevsky spoke today at the third meeting of the Belarus-European Union advisory group in Brussels.
At the meeting of representatives of the democratic forces of Belarus and Western partners, the following topical topics were discussed:
• political situation in Belarus and human rights;
• bringing the regime to justice;
• preparation for the 2025 presidential campaign;
• efforts to release political prisoners;
• mobility of Belarusians and Belarusians.
The meeting of the group was opened by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. The main theses of her speech:
• "In order to defeat the regime, it is necessary to achieve the understanding and support of the people. More than ever, we need to strengthen independent media and our national identity”;
• "Belarusians should see that the European perspective is the only alternative to the "Russian peace". Belarusians should feel that Europe is on their side and that the doors of Europe will be open for them when the moment comes";
• "In 2025, Lukashenka hopes to hold his "re-elections". But the regime cannot be allowed to "turn the page" and return to the usual order of things. These "elections" are not recognized by Belarusians or the international community. We will use this campaign to mobilize our supporters and draw attention to the situation in Belarus";
• "Our priority today should be to support the energy industry of Belarusians. We must support those who continue the struggle, both at home and abroad. I am sure that a new window of opportunity will open - and we should all be ready for it together";
• "The situation in Belarus requires everyone to make non-standard decisions and courage, you need to be decisive."
Valery Kovalevsky, in turn, emphasized the following:
• thanked European partners for the significant development of relations, including with the EU Foreign Policy Service, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Council, NATO, etc.;
• characterized the situation in Belarus as requiring non-standard solutions and courage from everyone, including the Belarusian democratic movement, noted the need for determination in response to the actions of Lukashenka, who seeks to build a totalitarian system;
• emphasized that Russia uses Belarus in its interests as a tool to fight against the West, strengthening its influence in the region. At the same time, Russia's impunity and support for Lukashenka push Putin to take further aggressive steps;
• noted that the defense of Belarus' independence should be a priority in order to have a chance for its democratic future and European elections, as well as to solve current problems, such as the release of political prisoners and the restoration of the constitutional order;
• noted the need to involve Belarus and its democratic forces in the peace process around Ukraine;
• called on international partners to discuss the strategy of withdrawing Belarus from the war against Ukraine and emphasized the importance of condemning the illegal presence of Russian troops in Belarus;
• stressed the need to introduce sanctions against Russia for its actions in Belarus;
• noted the importance of recognizing the institutions of democratic forces in Belarus, recalling recent successes, such as the signing of the Letter of Intent on cooperation with the European Parliament and the start of a political dialogue with NATO;
• called on the EU to support with political actions the initiative of granting the Belarusian parliament observer status in the UN;
• called to consider the possibility of appointing a special representative of the EU for Belarus, who will coordinate efforts between European institutions, EU member states, as well as external partners, such as Great Britain, the United States and Canada;
• stressed the importance of supporting independent media, human rights organizations, democratic political forces and civil society in Belarus.
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