Cichanoŭskaja calls for Belarus’ Euro-Atlantic integration at NATO summit

July 11, BPN. A Belarusian opposition leader has urged the West to pledge security guarantees and a non-nuclear status for her country, as well as its integration into “European and transatlantic structures,” saying that “no peace will be stable until Belarus is free – free of tyranny and Russian presence.”

“If Ukraine succeeds on the battlefields, Belarus will get a chance to get out of Russian claws,” Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja said on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius.

According to her, if the Belarusian democratic forces come to power, they will restore constitutional order, reject union with Russia, and leave its security bloc.

She suggested that NATO could already cooperate with the democratic forces under its Partnership for Peace program and set up a task force to consult with them.

Icelandic Foreign Minister Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho, Finnish State Secretary Lauri Tierala and Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Mantas Adomėnas attended the event in Vilnius.