“We are impressed by the courage and perseverance of the Belarussian people, and by the exhausting efforts of Mrs Tikhanovskaya,” he said. State Secretary Audun Halvorsen.
State Secretary Audun Halvorsen in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has today had political talks with the Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
‘We are very concerned about the situation in Belarus. Therefore, Norway considers it very important to maintain a good dialogue with the Belarusian democracy movement. We must maintain the pressure so that the legitimate demands of the Belarusian people for democracy and respect for human rights can be met, ‘said Halvorsen.
Mrs Tikhanovskaya was a candidate in the controversial presidential election in Belarus in August 2020, and is now leading the opposition’s struggle for a democratic Belarus from her exile in Lithuania. At their virtual meeting, Ms Tikhanovskaya and Halvorsen discussed the constant violations of human rights in Belarus and the authorities’ refusal to enter into dialogue with the political opposition. They also talked about the need to end the violence and that all political prisoners should be released.
‘Violence against peaceful protesters and human rights defenders is unacceptable. Norway has therefore joined 18 other states to establish the International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB), which will collect and document evidence of human rights violations in the country, Halvorsen said.
The IAPB is made up of independent human rights organizations, and will collect and preserve documentation on human rights violations in Belarus for possible use in future criminal cases, so that the perpetrators can be held accountable. Norway will provide around NOK 4 million in support of its work.
Norway supports Mrs Tikhanovskaya’s international mediation initiative to underpin dialogue between the opposition and the authorities. The political crisis can only be resolved in peaceful ways. Norway supports the demand for a genuine, inclusive dialogue between the Belarusian authorities, the political opposition and civil society, with a view to holding new, free and fair elections this year.
Norway has increased funding to support civil society and strengthen human rights in Belarus, and has sought to put the situation in the country higher on the agenda of international organizations, including the UN, the OSCE and the Council of Europe.
Source: The Nordic Page