Lithuanian President, Tikhanovskaya Discuss EU Sanctions Against Belarusian Authorities

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Belarusian opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Tuesday held a conference call, during which the sides discussed immediate plans and the impact of EU sanctions on the Belarusian authorities, the president's press service said in a statement

VILNIUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th November, 2020) Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Belarusian opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Tuesday held a conference call, during which the sides discussed immediate plans and the impact of EU sanctions on the Belarusian authorities, the president's press service said in a statement.

"The President briefed Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on the recent EU decision to extend sanctions to the Belarusian regime to include institutions, companies and businessmen. The President pointed out that Tsikhanouskaya's meetings with the leaders of EU members states, the EU institutions and other international organizations, calling for support for the democratic society in Belarus, were crucial to the country's democratic future," the statement read.

Nauseda further reiterated Lithuania's support for the Belarusian civil society, which, according to him, is fighting for democratic values and human rights.

"The President reassured the Belarusian [opposition] leader that Lithuania would always actively raise the human rights issue of the Belarusian people in international politics as well as advocate for the right of the Belarusians to freely elect their representatives in fair elections," the statement said.

The EU has publicly come out in support of the Belarusian opposition and former presidential candidate Tikhanovskaya, who fled to Lithuania following the August 9 presidential vote that saw incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko win a sixth term in office.

Earlier this month, the bloc imposed sanctions on Lukashenko and 14 other government officials. Brussels had already sanctioned roughly 40 Belarusian officials in the first round of punitive measures back in October.

Lukashenko and other high-ranking Belarusian ministers have slammed the EU and other countries for attempting to interfere in Belarus's domestic affairs. Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz has said that Brussels' sanctions will not go unanswered.