Фото: Офис Тихановской
Belarusian democratic forces have agreed with Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on further steps to support Belarusians living in the country. This was stated by diplomatic adviser to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Dzianis Kuchynski following a visit to Madrid. He met with Spain’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Diego Martínez Belio.
“I deliberately flew to Madrid to hold a high-level meeting with the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain. Our conversation lasted almost three hours — and this shows how seriously the Spanish side treats cooperation with the Belarusian democratic forces, as well as the problems of Belarusians. We agreed on specific next steps regarding possible support for Belarusians living in Spain. Diego Martínez assured that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to assist in promoting and resolving these issues together with other state bodies,” Kuchynski said.
During the meeting, key areas of cooperation with the democratic forces were also identified. International and humanitarian issues, the situation of political prisoners, and the sanctions policy of the EU and Spain were discussed.
A separate topic of the meeting was the opening of a Mission of the Democratic Forces of Belarus in Madrid, which could become an important centre for coordinating the activities of the Belarusian representation and supporting Belarusians in Spain.
Dzianis Kuchynski handed over to the Secretary of State a document describing existing problems and possible ways to resolve them, prepared on the basis of proposals from Belarusians in Spain. The document pays special attention to the recognition of expired Belarusian passports for those who cannot return to Belarus to renew them, as well as to the development of national guidelines for Spanish authorities when considering legalisation procedures.
In addition, Dzianis Kuchynski and the future head of the democratic forces’ mission in Spain Tatsiana Marynich met with members of the Spanish parliament to discuss possible avenues for further cooperation and support for the Belarusian community.
Alongside support for the Belarusian diaspora in Spain, one of the future areas of work of the mission will be humanitarian assistance in the rehabilitation of former Belarusian political prisoners near Alicante, together with Imagoura, Country for Life Foundation, the International Humanitarian Fund, and other organisations. Spain has already spent 50,000 euros on the International Humanitarian Fund. At the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dzianis Kuchynski, among other issues, spoke about continuing this support.