“Check against delivery”
Dear President Metsola,
Dear Ms Sviatlana,
Honourable Members,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This conference, here in this house, is a testament to the vital role the European Parliament plays in supporting the Belarusian fight for freedom and for a democratic future.
We have honoured this fight throughout the week with the Belarus Days. Over 100 Belarusian participants have come to Brussels to celebrate Belarusian culture and participate in political discussions with us.
We have marked these Belarus Days through art exhibitions, through film, and just yesterday, I attended – together with Ms Tsikhanouskaya – an impressive performance of accordionist Yegor Zabelov and the “Volny Chor” – the Free Choir.
Their music spoke the universal language of freedom, carrying forward Belarus’s cultural heritage even in exile. In every note, in every voice, we heard the enduring spirit of a nation that refuses to be silenced.
The Belarus Days come at a time of immense challenges. More than four years after the stolen elections of 2020, Belarus is once again approaching presidential elections.
These elections are being prepared in an atmosphere of fear, marked by intimidation, repression, and censorship.
Since 2020, the regime has fallen even deeper into authoritarianism.
Over 1,300 political prisoners continue to endure harsh conditions in Belarus’ prisons. Each one represents a family torn apart, and a dream of freedom put on hold.
The influence of Russia on politics, economy and society has grown significantly. And the Belarusian regime has made itself complicit in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Opposition parties have been banned, their leaders imprisoned or forced into exile. No real independent alternative exists in Belarus today.
And we have witnessed the systematic dismantling of a once vibrant civil society. The figure of 1,800 liquidated civil society organizations stand for countless broken communities:
- The Belarusian Association of Journalists;
- The Belarusian PEN Center, led by Svetlana Alexievich, the winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature;
- But also environmental NGOs, Student Associations, and even the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
No sector has been spared.
Many of you here today have been forced to leave your homeland. Because your fight for democracy and a brighter and fairer future is only possible in exile.
The European Union stands firmly with you. We know the difference between the people of Belarus and the regime that governs your country.
We have stopped engagement with Belarusian public authorities and state-owned enterprises. EU sanctions have been imposed to put pressure on the regime.
At the same time we have strengthened our support to the Belarusian democratic forces and civil society.
Today, I am happy to announce a new assistance package for the people of Belarus worth €30 million. It will help sustain independent voices, protect human rights defenders, and help culture and education in exile.
This brings our total support since 2020 to €170 million – this is a concrete expression of our solidarity.
It has, for example, helped provide legal and medical support more than 3,000 victims of repression; scholarships for over 3,000 students; and supported thousands of businesses in exile.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Throughout European history we have seen how the spirit of freedom prevails against all odds.
Today, that same spirit lives in the courage of the Belarusian people, the resilience of your exiled communities, and the creativity of your artists.
I want you to know that the European Union will be by your side in your quest for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus, as part of a peaceful and prosperous Europe.
Dear Sviatlana,
Yesterday, we were together at the concert. It is difficult to feel happy and sad at the same time, but that was exactly how I felt while listening to you and your music. I know what it means to fight for freedom, but I cannot imagine what it means to fight for freedom when you cannot be at home—when you must leave for the free world to fight for your country’s liberation.
I am deeply impressed by what you and the people of Belarus are doing to set your country free again. We are by your side.
Source – EU Commission