Today, the Community of Democracies welcomed Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, other pro-democracy activists, and state representatives to catalyse the exchange of knowledge and expertise to step up diplomatic support for the fight on behalf of democracy in Belarus.

Following opening remarks by Secretary General Mantas Adomenas,Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and Jakub Wiśniewski, Undersecretary of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Community of Democracies and the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus. The Memorandum confirms the Community’s unwavering support for the democratic forces in Belarus and opens a new page in the Community’s activities globally advocating for democratic leaders who were elected by their people but deprived of their rightful office by authoritarian regimes.

The panel discussion: “Democratic opposition in Belarus and in exile- how diplomats may help?” featured remarks from  Michał Kamiński, Deputy Speaker of the Senate of the Republic of Poland; Adam Hałaciński, Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for co-operation with Belarusian democratic forces; Pavel Latushka, Deputy Chairman of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Karina Węgrzynowska, Head of Office Council of Europe Office in Warsaw, and Hanna Liubakova, journalist from Belarus, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Closing remarks were provided by Andrey Gnyot, Belarusian activist and filmmaker, whose recent release followed significant international pressure, including joint diplomatic action by the Community of Democracies Member States, and serves as one of many examples of the growing dangers posed by transnational repressions and unjustified imprisonment of opposition activists and journalists.