"Canada does not perceive Lukashenko as a guarantor of the independence of Belarus," stated Canadian Ambassador to Poland, Catherine Godin, during a meeting with Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus and Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management.
The meeting, held in Warsaw on June 14, addressed several key issues:
The Coordination Council election campaign and its results
The need to harmonize and expand sanctions against the Lukashenko regime
The situation of political prisoners in Belarus and specific approaches to secure their release. Ambassador Godin expressed her support for Belarusian activist Andrei Gnyot.
The campaign and results of the Coordination Council elections were among the topics proactively raised by the Ambassador. She noted that in Canada, the government is formed by Parliament, and cabinet members retain their parliamentary mandates.
Canada believes it is crucial to harmonize sanctions against Russia and the Lukashenko regime and is actively engaging in mediation with other countries to achieve this. During the meeting, the Ambassador was presented with proposals, prepared by the NAM team, for imposing sanctions against military-industrial complex enterprises, propaganda television channels STV and ONT, the publishing house "Belarus Today", BELTA, regime propagandists, judges, Katerina Krutalevich (a journalist with "Belarus 1" who interviewed Daria Losik), Andrey Korol (rector of Belarusian State University), and others.
Pavel Latushka acknowledged the Canadian government's proactive stance in applying sanctions pressure on the Lukashenko regime. Catherine Godin, in turn, emphasized that the materials provided by the NAM team have practical implications for shaping sanctions decisions.
In response to a request from NAM lawyers, the Ambassador pledged to facilitate communication with Canadian lawyers involved in the case brought by Canada against Syria for violations of the Convention against Torture. This exchange is crucial for the NAM's ongoing work on materials documenting the Lukashenko regime's crimes against the Belarusian people.
The Canadian Ambassador promised to promptly relay updated information regarding Andrei Gnyot's situation to the Canadian Embassy in Serbia.
"It is important for us that Canada consistently supports the Belarusian people in their pursuit of a free and democratic Belarus, and that cooperation between Canada and Belarusian democratic institutions remains substantive and effective," remarked Pavel Latushka during the meeting.