Tikhanovskaya Wants Tougher Sanctions Against Minsk, Will Ask Johnson For Support -Reports

Umer Jamshaid Published August 03, 2021 | 01:53 PM

Former Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is seeking to get the support of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the issue of sanctions against Belarus, The Financial Times reported on Tuesday

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd August, 2021) Former Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is seeking to get the support of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the issue of sanctions against Belarus, The Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

During her trip to London on Tuesday, Tikhanovskaya wants to enlist support from Johnson to remove sanctions exemptions, which she says have blunted their impact, the newspaper said.

"We're going to the UK to raise attention . . . to close loopholes in European sanctions," the opposition leader told The Financial Times without providing any further details.

Tikhanovskaya met with US President Joe Biden at the White House last week. She said after the talks that she called on Biden to assist a peaceful transition to democracy in her country.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday that the West may try to exercise pressure on eastern allies of Belarus after the meeting between Biden and Tikhanovskaya.

Tikhanovskaya was on a visit to the US starting July 18. Apart from Biden, she met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Under Secretary Victoria Nuland, State Department Counselor Derek Chollet, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, among others.

Belarus has been in a prolonged political crisis since incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko secured his sixth term in office in the August 2020 election. The opposition has not recognized the results, claiming that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was the real winner. The dispute resulted in mass protests across the country, which generally declined by February.

Minsk has opened criminal cases against several opposition leaders and other persons on charges linked to anti-government rallies.