US President Joe Biden meets with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya

US President Joe Biden met with former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, transfers “Present time” and Tikhanovskaya’s Telegram channel.

“Standing at the White House in front of reporters, I tried to understand my feelings after meeting with President Biden. But I’m not alone here. Behind my back are 36 thousand Belarusians who have gone through arrests and torture. 10 of them died. But they all spoke in my voice at this meeting.

As a Belarusian, I am proud of my people, which rebelled against the regime and has been opposing it for a year now.

As a politician, I am glad to have this meeting. President Biden said the world continues to struggle between autocracy and democracy. And you know that Belarus is at the forefront in this struggle. Therefore, I called on President Biden to help us make Belarus a successful example of a non-violent transition to democracy, ”- leads the words of Tikhonovskaya Telegram channel.

Tikhanovskaya also stressed that the sovereignty of Belarus is not subject to discussion and bargaining. Any deals signed by an illegitimate regime are illegal.

“As the wife of political prisoner Sergei Tikhanovsky, I feel pain that he and thousands of people cannot share this moment with me. But I’m sure they’ll find out about this meeting. And they will know that we are fighting for them.

As a mother of two, I just hope that they will understand and forgive me for the fact that during these times their mother was not always with them. No matter how much time and effort the path of Belarus to freedom requires, I am ready to walk it together with the Belarusians. And I thank President Biden for supporting us on this path, ”Tikhanovskaya concluded.

In addition, she stressed that the solution to the crisis in Belarus can only be “new free elections under international control, and all prisoners for political reasons should be released without any conditions.”

“The crisis in Belarus should be included in the international agenda, in the UN and OSCE, and all those responsible should be brought to justice in international courts,” Tikhanovskaya said.

Tikhanovskaya is visiting the United States at the official invitation of the State Department.

On June 19, she met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, his deputy Victoria Nuland and US State Department adviser Derek Scholle.

As Tikhanovskaya’s Telegram channel reported, during the meeting, Tikhanovskaya and Blinken discussed the hijacking of the Ryanair plane, attacks on civil society and the media, and illegal migration to Lithuania organized by the regime as an attempt to take revenge on the EU.

Tikhanovskaya also called on the United States to develop an emergency package for Belarusian independent media, YouTube projects and investigative journalists.

In addition, she asked Blinken “to expand assistance to civil society, repressed citizens, political prisoners and their families, to increase the number of scholarship programs to support students and researchers, and to provide assistance to private business in Belarus.”

In addition, Tikhanovskaya said that the US authorities should convey to Russia that the contracts and agreements signed with the current government of Belarus will not be legally recognized.

The meeting between Blinken and Tikhanovskaya lasted for about an hour.