Advertisement

Updated July 29th, 2021 at 20:14 IST

Belarus Opposition Leader calls for fresh US, EU sanctions in bid to topple government

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the embattled opposition expressed, hope that the United States and the European Union (EU) will impose new sanctions.

Reported by: Aanchal Nigam
US
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
Advertisement

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the embattled opposition of Belarus, expressed her hope that the United States and the European Union (EU) will impose new sanctions on money-making government enterprises that would eventually lead to the fall of authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. According to her, the sanctions would enable a peaceful transition that pro-democracy supporters in the country are preparing for because “it can happen very fast".

Tsikhanouskaya was the main opposition challenger to Lukashenko in last August’s disputed elections. In an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday, she said that the former Soviet Union is very unprecedently collapsing in six days and “the same situation can be there in Belarus and ... our task is to be mobilized". Tsikhanouskaya called on the US to take “active and non-symbolic” measures in response to a crackdown by the Belarusian President on the country’s dissidents.

Tsikhanouskaya returned to US to meet Biden

As per reports, Tsikhanouskaya had returned to Washington on July 28 to meet with US President Joe Biden who spoke in support of the pro-democracy supporters in Belarus. Biden even took to Twitter to say that he was “honoured to meet her” and added that the “United States stands with the people of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human rights”. While she termed her meeting with Biden “a big step forward, and said that they still have a long way to go”, she told AP that she was successful in securing Biden’s support.

“I secured the support of President Biden in that the U.S. will stand together with Belarus in our very difficult fight right now,” she told AP. Tsikhanouskaya also said that the duo did not discuss the specific sanctions on Belarus but exchanged views about the need to expedite the measures that would mount pressure on the Lukashenko regime. She said that she urged the US officials to back the negotiations aimed at fresh national elections under international monitoring. She called the US “the most powerful leveller".

“We will see what will be (the) response, but I’m sure that new sanctions are near, and American sanctions, together, of course, with the European sanctions, will have a huge impact on the regime,” she said. Further, in a telephonic interview, she said, “Economic pressure on the regime, on cronies, on sectors like oil, potash, steel, wood, financial sphere -- this constant pressure will help to split allies inside the regime.”

(Inputs from AP)

(IMAGE: AP)
 

Advertisement

Published July 29th, 2021 at 20:14 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo