Ukraine’s MFA: Opening of Belarusian democratic forces mission progressive step for Ukraine

The opening of a mission of Belarusian democratic forces in Kyiv has launched an official dialogue between Ukraine and the Belarusian democratic opposition and marked an important, progressive step in developing cooperation.

This opinion was expressed in a comment to Ukrinform by Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yaroslav Chornohor.

He recalled that in the evening of May 26, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, head of the United Transitional Cabinet of the Belarusian democratic opposition, opened the office of the Mission of Belarusian Democratic Forces in Ukraine in central Kyiv. The mission is headed by Svitlana Shatilina. On the Ukrainian side, Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis attended the opening ceremony.

“The Belarusian democratic forces already have missions in several countries, including Estonia and Czech Republic. But for Ukraine this is quite a progressive step, because for a long time at the official level we did not ‘notice’ the existence of Belarusian democratic forces at all. Now, mission head Svitlana Shatilina, together with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, attended a meeting with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, and this marked the beginning of our communication track,” Chornohor said.

He noted that the United Transitional Cabinet and Tsikhanouskaya’s office are the most structured and systematic groups among Belarusian democratic forces and are recognized at the European level.

According to Chornohor, in his role as ambassador-at-large he plans to maintain constant communication with the mission, study the needs of Belarusians in Ukraine and Belarusian democratic forces, and seek areas for joint cooperation.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is open to this and has effectively become the driver behind launching the process of building relations with the Belarusian opposition,” Chornohor added.

Commenting on the results of Tsikhanouskaya’s first official visit to Kyiv, the diplomat described it as a shared success for both sides.

“From the Ukrainian side, we clearly demonstrated that for us the Belarusian people and the Alexander Lukashenko regime are not the same thing, and that statements made by Lukashenko in Minsk are not a factor determining our policy,” Chornohor stressed.

He noted that Belarus remains a highly sensitive issue for Ukraine because in 2022 Russian troops launched their offensive against the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions from Belarusian territory.

“That is why we would like to have a country friendly to us on our northern border. Clearly, the Lukashenko regime cannot provide that. Therefore, we hope that Belarus will eventually undergo a transition of power and that democratic transformations will make Belarus a free, democratic, and Ukraine-friendly country,” the diplomat said.

Read also: Belarusian opposition leader calls for stronger Ukraine ties with democratic Belarus

According to Chornohor, the date of Tsikhanouskaya’s visit to Kyiv was not publicized for security reasons. Nevertheless, he said, public interest in the visit and in Belarusian democratic forces generally exceeded his expectations.

In this context, he highlighted the large number of journalists attending the joint press conference of Tsikhanouskaya and Andrii Sybiha, as well as her public meetings in Kyiv.

“We were barely keeping up with our schedule because people kept approaching, asking questions directly, and wanting to take photos – It was truly impressive,” Chornohor concluded.

Earlier, Tsikhanouskaya stated that it is very important for Belarusian democratic forces that Ukraine view a free Belarus as a partner and neighbor rather than a threat.