Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who is on a visit to Brussels, addressed a plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee dedicated to the resilience of the European Union’s eastern border regions.
The event was also attended by Lithuanian Deputy Finance Minister Neringa Rinkeviciute-Laurinaitiene and European Commission Deputy Director-General for Regional and Urban Policy Hugo Sobral.
Participants discussed issues related to strengthening security, resilience and development in countries along the EU’s eastern border. In her speech, Tsikhanouskaya said that Belarusians have spent many years fighting for the values on which the European Union is founded.
According to her, the Belarusian authorities are deliberately isolating the country’s citizens from Europe, destroying independent institutions and persecuting everything that contributes to strengthening national identity.
Tsikhanouskaya called for maintaining pressure on the regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka until genuine systemic changes take place, while also supporting Belarusian civil society, independent media, and cultural and educational initiatives.
She also proposed deepening cooperation between Belarus’ democratic forces and the European Economic and Social Committee to prepare future reforms and the country’s European integration.
“By isolating dictators, we must invest in people and their European aspirations. The stronger civil society is, the weaker the dictatorship becomes,” the democratic forces leader said.
She called for expanding support for Belarusian culture, language and identity through exhibitions, cultural events, educational programs and exchanges, as well as working together on initiatives supporting political prisoners, independent journalists, workers’ rights and efforts to counter disinformation.
