Tsikhanouskaya on Poland-Belarus relations after Pachobut's release: The ball is in Lukashenka's court
She noted that Pachobut's case differs from usual humanitarian efforts.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk personally came to the border to meet Andrzej Pachobut on Tuesday. Photo: Donald Tusk's Twitter
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, at the V Conference of Belarusians of the World in Warsaw, commented on the release of journalist Andrzej Pachobut and the role of democratic forces in negotiations for the release of political prisoners, writes Reform.news.
According to her, since 2020, Tsikhanouskaya's office has been working with American and European partners on this issue, discussing various mechanisms.
"Without coordination and interaction with our partners, perhaps these prisoners would have already been forgotten," she said.
Tsikhanouskaya noted that Pachobut's case differs from usual humanitarian efforts.
"It was similar to an exchange through intelligence services," she said, thanking everyone involved in the process.
Answering a question about whether Pachobut's release would improve Polish-Belarusian relations, Tsikhanouskaya quoted the words of Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Basacki: if relations with Lukashenka were previously at minus 20, they are now at minus 15.
"So we all understand that the situation has not changed. People continue to be detained in Belarus, and Lukashenka threatens and blackmails our neighbors. Therefore, this is not a new level of relations, the ball is in Lukashenka's court," she said.
"There are clear demands from our European partners and from Poland: stop the repression, stop the detentions of people, stop cross-border repression, because people are under threat not only in Belarus but also beyond its borders. This would be a step from the Lukashenka regime to show that he is ready to do something to improve relations. So far, we do not see this," summarized the leader of the democratic forces.
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