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Countries that conclude agreements with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko do so “at their own risk and risk” and cannot expect the support of the people of the country, former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said.
Alexander Lukashenko has no legal basis to remain the president of Belarus, said former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya during a speech at the Committee of PParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Political Affairs and Democracy. The online conference was broadcast on the “Present Time” television channel.
“Not a single international organization recognized the results of the elections in Belarus. The citizens of Belarus also refused to acknowledge these falsified elections. This means that Lukashenka has no legal basis to remain the president of our country. He no longer represents Belarus. “, said.
Countries that conclude agreements with Lukashenka “conclude them at their own risk and risk,” Tikhanovskaya emphasized.
“They cannot expect the support of the citizens of Belarus and their honestly elected representatives. […] The citizens of Belarus now fight for human rights. But the regime that currently operates in my country makes fun of these values, “he added.
Mass protests have been going on in Belarus since August 9. The protesters believe that the results of the presidential elections were falsified. According to official data, Lukashenka won with 80.1% of the voters. Opposition candidate Tikhanovskaya came in second with 10.1% of the vote. At the same time, alternative exit polls showed the opposite picture: Tikhanovskaya’s confident victory.
The Belarusian security forces violently dispersed the demonstrations, in particular with the use of stun grenades, rubber bullets and water cannons. During the protests, about 8,000 protesters were detained, hundreds were injured and wounded. According to official figures, killed four protesters.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on August 31 were the first in the world to impose personal sanctions on the Belarusian authorities after the elections and the crackdown on peaceful protests in the country. The Baltic states declared 30 Belarusian officials, including Lukashenka, persona non grata.
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said on August 11 that the elections in Belarus “were neither free nor fair” and that the authorities used “violence disproportionate and unacceptable “against the protesters. On August 28, the foreign ministers of the European Union countries agreed to impose sanctions against top Belarusian officials due to electoral fraud and violence against protesters.
Ukraine will decide on sanctions against Belarus when the EU introduces restrictions, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said.
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