Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that the authorities of Belarus have been complicit in Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine, which has continued for more than half a year now. “The Russian army is using Belarusian ammunition, spare parts and territory to launch attacks on Ukraine, which makes Lukashenko and the leadership of Belarus participants of the war,” he added.
Reinsalu underlined that decisions are needed at European Union level to pressure Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, mainly through political isolation and tougher sanctions.
The foreign minister assured that Estonia would continue to support the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian opposition and the civil society to make sure that violations of human rights and international law do not go unnoticed. “The international community must continue to stand for the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners in Belarus and holding the organisers of repressions accountable,” Reinsalu said.
To give the democratic voice of Belarus a platform on the international arena, Estonia organised several discussions on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with the Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, bringing together representatives of various states, think tanks and companies.
Estonia wishes to step up cooperation with the democratic opposition of Belarus, which has its main centre in Vilnius. “We plan to appoint a special diplomatic representative to Vilnius for contacts with the democratic forces of Belarus in Vilnius,” the foreign minister added.
