"The UK will continue to support and cooperate with the democratic forces and institutions of the democratic forces of Belarus", — said Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet and Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management Pavel Latushka following a meeting with representatives of the UK Embassy in Warsaw.
As part of ongoing consultations with the heads of diplomatic missions of foreign countries accredited in Warsaw, Pavel Latushka met with Deputy Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Poland Jennifer MacNaughtan and diplomats of the British Embassy. The Speaker of the Coordination Council of Belarus Anzhelika Melnikova also took part.
During the meeting, Pavel Latushka presented detailed information on a number of key issues:
non-compliance with international standards for holding fair and competitive presidential elections in Belarus in 2025. In the near future, a legal assessment from the point of view of both the national legislation of Belarus and international standards will be provided to British partners. This is especially relevant since the Lukashenko’s regime has already begun preparations for another non-competitive election campaign. Civil society in the country is suppressed: there are thousands of political prisoners in prison, all opposition parties, independent media, and more than 1,700 non-governmental organizations have been liquidated — it is impossible to hold elections in these conditions;
British partners were informed about the activities of political institutions of the democratic forces of Belarus. Pavel Latushka noted the unified position of the democratic institutions of Belarus in achieving democratic reforms in the country;
documents adopted at the III Conference "New Belarus" in Vilnius, which took place from August 3 to 5, were handed over. These documents include the Declaration on Foreign Policy Priorities of Democratic Belarus, the Declaration on Accountability and Restoration of Justice, as well as the Platform "2025";
Pavel Latushka drew the attention of British diplomats to the growth of political repression in the country.
The Speaker of the Coordination Council, Anzhelika Melnikova, spoke during the meeting about the plans of the Coordination Council, including those related to international cooperation. Particular attention was paid to the possibility of partnership between the British Parliament and the Coordination Council, including the organization of familiarization visits to the parliament, training programs and interaction of specialized commissions. Another important topic of discussion was the UK's support for civil society and Belarusian independent media, as well as the simplification of the visa issuance procedure for citizens of Belarus.
The speaker noted the importance of the Protocol for Cooperation of Democratic Institutions of Belarus adopted at the "New Belarus" conference: the President-elect, the Office of Sviatlana Tikhanouskaya, the United Transitional Cabinet and the Coordination Council. This document allows for the development of common strategic documents and a common consolidated position of democratic institutions.
The speaker also expressed gratitude to the UK representatives for their cooperation with the international human rights organization Libereco, which provides financial, consulting and psychological assistance to Belarusians. Thanks to this cooperation, a large-scale campaign in support of political prisoners was also carried out and more than 40,000 signatures were collected demanding the release of Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski from prison. Anzhelika Melnikova expressed hope for further expansion of cooperation between the democratic forces of Belarus and Great Britain.
At the initiative of Pavel Latushka, the issue of bringing Lukashenko and his accomplices to justice for crimes against humanity and war crimes was discussed separately. Representatives of the British Embassy showed particular interest in this topic.
Pavel Latushka informed about the preparation of the international conference "Accountability for the crimes and human rights violations in Belarus" which will be held on September 13 in Vilnius, in which Pavel Latushka and lawyers of the NAM are scheduled to participate. An agreement was reached on the cooperation of Great Britain and Belarusian democratic forces on the issue of international justice. Great Britain expressed its readiness to cooperate on this topic both within the OSCE and in bilateral contacts.
The meeting of Pavel Latushka with representatives of the British Embassy in Poland showed that the United Kingdom is a consistent ally of the Belarusian democratic forces in the fight for freedom and democracy in Belarus. Great Britain continues to prove its principled position regarding the Lukashenko’s regime.
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