[ad_1]
President Gitanas Nausėda said he had an exchange of views with Macron on the future of Belarus, Russia and NATO, and thanked the President of France for his contribution to the security of the region.
“We have agreed on the issue of Belarus, the EU cannot waste time, it must do everything possible so that the next European Council approves the sanctions that are being considered and proposed,” said G. Nausėda.
G. Nausėda reiterated that Lukashenko did not win the elections, he cannot be called the legitimate president of Belarus.
E. Macron said that he had discussed the events in Belarus with G. Nausėda. “The French are always on the side of the defenders of freedom, we need to listen to the protesters calling for freedom and democracy,” he said.
The French president called on the Belarusian authorities to suspend arbitrary arrests, forced evictions, actions against the Coordination Council, the release of those arbitrarily detained and “respect for the actual results of the elections.”
“France supports the Belarusian people in the search for a political solution in light of the expectations expressed peacefully and en masse for several weeks,” he said.
E. Macronas confirmed that on Tuesday he will meet with Sviatlana Cichanouskaja, the winner of the Belarusian elections, who arrived in Lithuania shortly after the vote.
“Our priority is conviction and sanctions. Of course, mediation must be taken at the same time.” Now we need to avoid the geopolitization of this conflict, we need a solution that is Belarusian, that the transition is peaceful, that other countries do not participate in her and that all parts of civil society can be recognized, “Macron said.
According to the French president, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) could mediate. According to Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin has already accepted this, and President Alexander Lukashenko, considered illegal by the West, must now agree.
“We have proposed that the OSCE commit itself, and that France will do everything possible to make this mediation happen, so that we can move forward,” Macron said after the meeting with Nausėda.
On the eve of his visit to Lithuania, Macron declared that Lukashenko “must withdraw.”
In Belarus, protests erupted after the Aug. 9 announcement of allegedly more than 80 percent Lukashenko, a former leader of the country, gathered votes and was re-elected president. Peaceful demonstrations are being suppressed through arrests and the use of force: more than 12,000 people have been arrested since the protests began. people who have come out of isolation report torture.
The European Union (EU) said last week that it did not consider the ninth election to be fair, nor was Lukashenko’s legitimate leader in Belarus.
After the meeting with G. Nausėda, E. Macron said that he hoped that the EU would soon impose sanctions on Belarusian officials. He reiterated that he did not recognize Lukashenko as president.
Lithuania, along with other Baltic states, has already imposed sanctions on Belarusian officials, including Lukashenko, who is blamed for electoral manipulation and violence against protesters.
So far, EU leaders have failed to agree on sanctions against Belarusian officials, allegedly blocked by Cyprus, who wants more community attention in the conflict with Turkey.
Earlier, the media announced that Lukashenko was not on the preliminary EU sanctions list, that his inclusion was blocked by Germany, France and Italy. According to the media, the leaders of these countries want to maintain the possibility of dialogue with Lukashenko.
Dialogue with Russia
Macron assured that he had explained to Nausėda why France had taken the initiative to speak with Russia.
“We want to have a transparent and naive dialogue with Russia. Russia is a close power, and I wanted them to be informed about our approach at each stage of the debate, to know how the work is progressing and what can be achieved,” said the French president.
According to Macron, dialogue with Russia is important from a strategic point of view, but “the past is also very important.”
“I say this with great respect. I know that this country has suffered very painful injuries. <...>
I know what it means to you to talk about strategic dialogue with Russia, so I am telling you very openly. The dialogue that we are building, we do it with great respect with our European partners, and everything is very transparent. And I believe that we can create a 21st century in which many conflicts related to our neighborhood are resolved, ”he added.
According to the French president, cooperation with Russia is necessary for peace in Europe.
“If we want peace in Europe to last a long time, we must work with Russia. Because we have a common geography and past. And sometimes, we know, we are going through difficult things, it has gone through repression here, people have died, but We cannot live as if Europe is far from Russia, ”Macron said.
The French president spoke of the desire to create an architecture of security, renewed cooperation, trust that avoids tensions and combats cyberattacks, disinformation and destabilization.
“It is by reinforcing the sovereignty and security of the EU, which we have been doing from the beginning, and by having this dialogue, we will become stronger and have greater sovereignty. This is our agenda. We are not naive, we are very respectful and demanding of Russia, “he said.
Macron expressed his support for Kremlin critic Alexei Navaln, who had been poisoned with Novičiok, a substance that paralyzes the nerves.
“Now the investigation is underway, the national experience has been carried out, France, Germany and Sweden have presented their experience.” And for us it is quite clear that a chemical weapon was used, ”he said.
According to the French president, the technical work is already underway, decisions will be made and then action will need to be taken.
“It just came to our knowledge then. <...> First of all, it is an assassination attempt, an aggression committed in Russia against a Russian (government) opponent with the Russian chemist Noviciok. Therefore, Russia needs to clarify the situation. Today, the international community must ask Russia for clarification and decisions must be taken, “said E. Macron.
[ad_2]
