The leader of the Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa on Tuesday, October 6 in Berlin called on European countries to maintain "
pressure
", in particular by "
sanctions
", on the regime of President Alexander Loukachenko.
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After meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron last week, the opponent, who claims victory in the presidential election in Belarus in August, also spoke with Angela Merkel.
"
The Belarusian people now have a clear and understandable goal: new elections,
" Tikhanovskaïa told the German Chancellor during this meeting of about 45 minutes.
As a gift, she gave the German leader an umbrella in the colors of the former Belarusian White-Red-White flag, which opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko are currently using as a rallying sign during protests.
Ms Tikhanovskaya also stressed that the protests in Belarus were not directed against Russia or Europe, but rather the product of an "
internal crisis in the country
".
To overcome it, people expect not only “
moral support
” but also financial support.
"
Our country needs different kinds of help, but above all we need a mediation to start the dialogue with our authorities, the negotiations
", had already declared the opponent during a press conference in the morning.
“
The pressure must be inside our country as well as outside,
” added this 37-year-old political novice, a refugee in Lithuania since the controversial presidential election of August 9.
“
Internal pressure is demonstrations, strikes, citizens' movements, external pressure, it is sanctions, aid from neighboring countries
,” Ms. Tikhanovskaïa had detailed.
"
We ask all leaders to be heard on Belarus,
" she said.
"
Of course, we ask them (...) to expand the list of sanctions, not to recognize Lukashenko as a legitimate leader, or even to help him financially
."
Read also: Belarus: Washington sanctions eight senior officials including the Minister of the Interior
According to her, “
the sanctions are only the beginning of the pressure that European countries can exert on our regime, on Lukashenko
”.
"
Maybe in the future, if we see that nothing changes, we will ask European countries to take more serious measures, but we need more time to see how things are going
", had- she further felt, refusing to be "
too insistent on European countries
".
Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa also wanted to challenge the idea that "
defending human rights and the dignity of the Belarusian people is interference in internal affairs
".
“
What the European countries are doing is helping to put pressure on the regime, just to show that we are against this violence, that we are against this pressure.
Just like us, European countries are calling for dialogue,
”she concluded.
The announcement of the re-election of Lukashenko, in office since 1994, sparked historic protests, with the opposition and the West considering the vote fraudulent.
The EU sanctioned some 40 Belarusian officials involved in the crackdown on October 2, including the Minister of the Interior.
Washington has also announced sanctions.