Belarus' Tikhanovskaya Regrets Being Unable To Visit Russia

Belarus' Tikhanovskaya Regrets Being Unable to Visit Russia

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2020) Belarusian opposition politician and ex-presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya expressed regret on Tuesday that she cannot visit Russia after being put on the interstate wanted list.

In October, the Belarusian Investigative Committee issued an arrest warrant for Tikhanovskaya over her calls for actions breaching the national security. The Kremlin explained that Russia had no questions for Tikhanovskaya, but is obligated to put her on a wanted list in accordance with Union State and Commonwealth of Independent States agreements.

"Unfortunately. I would probably like to go, but since I am on a wanted list in Belarus and, accordingly, in Russia, I think the result of a trip to Russia will be lamentable," Tikhanovskaya told reporters during an online conference, when asked whether she plans to visit Russia in the near future.

Asked whether Russian officials tried to contact Belarusian opposition activists, she said that "there were no official requests" or "official attempts.

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Speaking at the same conference, opposition activist Pavel Latushko, in turn, noted that "there were no official contacts, we mean exactly those official." The Belarusian opposition leaders declined to provide further details.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has earlier dismissed Latushko's allegations of unofficial contacts between Moscow and the Belarusian opposition as a "complete lie."

Belarus has been facing anti-government protests since early August, when the opposition refused to recognize incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko's reelection. The EU has also rejected the election results and slapped sanctions on Belarusian officials whom it holds accountable for quelling the protests.

Political novice Tikhanovskaya, who came in second in the election, fled to Lithuania, from where she continues rallying support from European leaders. She has already met with many EU heads of state and government.