November 21, Pozirk. Belarus’ pro-democracy forces are ready for change, Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja said at the conference “Authoritarianism and Resistance: Lessons of Belarus and Georgia” that opened in Tallinn on November 21.
The event has been co-organized by Cichanoŭskaja’s office in Estonia and Latvia, the East European School of Political Studies, the Tbilisi School of Political Studies and the Estonian foreign ministry, Franak Viačorka, an aide for the Belarusian pro-democracy leader, has told Pozirk.
“We are preparing for the next window opportunity — because we know it will come. The regime looks strong, but it is hollow,” Cichanoŭskaja said. “Łukašenka is a lame duck. He is like a Soviet-era fossil, a relic. Even people around him are whispering about transition. And without Russian support, he won’t last three months.”
The politician met with Estonian President Alar Karis the previous day. “We spoke – that all of us – Estonians, Belarusians, Georgians – we all fight for the same values, the same European future, and against the same enemy Russian imperialism,” she said.
Cichanoŭskaja will wrap up her visit to Tallinn today. She is expected to meet with officials of the foreign and interior ministries and members of the group of support of a democratic Belarus in the Lithuanian parliament, as well as with Belarusians living in Estonia.
She will also attend the screening of the film “Not Made for Politics” about journalists living in exile and a reception hosted by the Canadian filmmakers.
