Rinkēvičs, Levits and Kariņš to meet with Belarusian opposition leader Tikhanovsky in person on Friday

The Minister noted that during his visit to Latvia, Tikhanskov will also remotely participate in the international security and political forum “Riga Conference 2020”. It is planned that during the meeting, the Minister will discuss the current situation and possible future initiatives with the Belarusian opposition candidates in the presidential election.

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The Foreign Minister noted that public protests in Belarus have not stopped and the brutality of power is still evident. Rinkēvičs emphasized that Russia’s position on this issue, which continues to support the self-proclaimed President Alexander Lukashenko, is not insignificant. He expressed concern that the current situation would continue for some time to come, pointing out that the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic would also worsen the Belarusian economy.

“The Belarusian economy needs money that the international financial institutions are not ready to give. Russia will not be able to hold on to the current regime for a long time, as they say, on the dagger and on Russia’s external support,” Rinkevics said.

The Foreign Minister noted that Latvia, together with Lithuania and Estonia, has advocated for the extension of sanctions. He reminded MEPs that the European Union (EU) had imposed sanctions on Lukashenko, his son Viktor and 13 other officials responsible for the repression following the 9 August elections.

“The Baltic States are ready to continue to apply their sanctions in a coordinated manner and to expand the list of sanctions to include more and more people responsible for the violence in Belarus,” the Minister emphasized, noting that Latvia’s position is unchanged – new elections must be held in Belarus. presence.

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Rinkēvičs pointed out that in addition to the already allocated funding for the support of Belarus, 120,000 euros have been earmarked, however, this money is not enough for all needs. The Minister also said that joint work was underway with the Ministry of Education and Science on granting scholarships to Belarusian students, however, Rinkēvičs emphasized that practical issues would have to be decided, such as issues related to the possibility to work and live in Latvia for persons in the process of obtaining political asylum.

The Minister also noted that each other thinks that the topic of Belarus has relaxed. Rinkēvičs emphasized that this is not the case – practical work in international organizations is continuing and every effort is being made to document the crimes committed both during the elections and in the power struggle against peaceful protesters and demonstrators.

“The EU’s position is absolutely clear and does not recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus. Ambassadors have not been accredited at EU level and both political and diplomatic contacts have been frozen, but we will continue to adhere to them,” the foreign minister explained.

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Speaking about the recall of the Latvian Ambassador to Belarus to Latvia, Rinkēvičs said that the Ambassador had returned to Minsk. The Foreign Minister said it was a politically diplomatic gesture. Most of the EU ambassadors have returned to Belarus and, according to the minister, the ambassadors must continue to work not only to support the public, but also to document the situation.

The Minister also said that 123 so-called “humanitarian” visas have been issued so far and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has information on 21 asylum seekers. Rinkēvičs explained that the ministry has facilitated the procedure for obtaining visas and they are issued to those who request it, even within a few hours.