Tikhanovskaya calls on Ukraine to support Belarus on international platforms

12.02.2021 14:12

Ukrinform

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has called on Ukraine to support Belarus in the OSCE, PACE, UN, as well as on other international platforms.

According to Ukrinform, she made such a statement to the deputies of the deputy group "For A Democratic Belarus" of the Verkhovna Rada.

The online meeting was attended by MPs Serhii Kalchenko, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Oleksandr Merezhko, Chairman of the Ukrainian Delegation to the PACE Maria Mezentseva (Servant of the People), MPs Oleksandra Ustynova, Solomiia Bobrovska and Yulia Klymenko (Voice), Larysa Bilozir (For the Future), Oleksii Honcharenko, Sofia Fedyna and Maksym Savrasov (European Solidarity), and Oksana Savchuk (Freedom).

"We're asking you to support an independent democratic Belarus. We call on Ukraine to support us in the OSCE, PACE, UN, as well as on other international arenas. We hope that we will soon be able to meet with the leadership of Ukraine and discuss the neighborly future of our countries," Tikhanovskaya said in a statement.

She also thanked Ukrainians for their solidarity, assistance to the Belarusian people, non-recognition of Alexander Lukashenko as president of Belarus and the officially announced election results. Tikhanovskaya called for support for 246 political prisoners in Belarus: to take patronage over them, to contact their families, to write letters.

"I would also like to emphasize that we support the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Crimea is legally part of Ukraine, but has been de facto controlled by Russia for several years. In many ways, Belarusians have been living in a similar state for the past six months, and now it has become easier for us to understand the problems of Ukrainians. In fact, the former president lost the election, but de facto his regime still illegally holds power," Tikhanovskaya said.

Ukrainian politicians expressed support for Belarusians in their struggle for freedom and democracy and said they were waiting for a meeting with Tikhanovskaya in Kyiv.

Mass protests have been going on in Belarus since August 2020 against the rigging of the results of a presidential election in which Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner.

The European Union and Ukraine have stated that they do not recognize his legitimacy.