French foreign minister meets Cichanoŭskaja, Belarusian embassy hits back

March 30, BPN. During an official visit to Lithuania, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna met with Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja in Vilnius on March 30. France’s top diplomat said she admired the Belarusian democrats’ courage.

“France supports the Belarusian democratic opposition. In Vilnius, I wanted to see Mrs Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja again,” Colonna tweeted.

The foreign minister had announced the meeting in an interview with Delfi.lt: “The Belarusian dimension being key at the moment, I will also see the representative of the Belarusian democratic forces, Mrs Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja, to show her once again France’s support for her fight for democracy and peace. This will be our third meeting.”

The Belarusian embassy in Paris commented on the meeting by saying that the French authorities avoid any dialogue with their citizens “on essential social issues,” but “are keen to meet with Belarusian criminals hiding in Lithuania and calling for a violent coup.”

“Belarus calls on France to respect the fundamental principles of international law and not to interfere in sovereign states’ internal affairs,” the embassy tweeted.

During her last meeting with Cichanoŭskaja on October 6, 2022, Colonna declared France’s support for the Belarusian opposition’s struggle for democracy and peace that went on more than two years after the disputed presidential election. In January 2023, the French foreign ministry condemned the in absentia trials of democratic activists, including opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.