"More than 800 people are still in prison": Kolesnikova called on Europe to engage in dialogue with Minsk
Belarusian activist and former political prisoner Maryia Kalesnikava has called on the European Union to use diplomatic dialogue with Minsk to release political prisoners. She noted that the US negotiation path has yielded results and this experience should be continued.
"More than 800 people are still in prison": Kolesnikova called on Europe to engage in dialogue with Minsk
In an interview with DW, Kolesnikova said that European countries should follow the example of the United States and use diplomacy and sanctions to save the lives of political prisoners in Belarus.
She emphasized that the fact she has recently been speaking more about the need for dialogue does not mean her attitude towards Alexander Lukashenko's regime has softened. According to the activist, the years she spent in prison have not changed her view of the system.
"We are talking to each other now because it was diplomacy that was used as a tool of influence and to achieve specific goals," Kolesnikova said.
She cited her own release as an example of diplomatic negotiations yielding results.
Kolesnikova recalled that more than 800 people sentenced on political grounds still remain in Belarusian prisons.
"If we see that the US negotiation path has worked, then it must be used," she said.
According to DW, negotiations between Washington and Minsk resulted in the release of nearly 500 political prisoners in exchange for easing sanctions against Belarusian companies.
Kolesnikova called on the European Union to adopt a similar approach.
The activist also linked the expansion of relations with Europe to the future of Belarus and regional security.
"Europe's openness not to the regime, but to Belarus and Belarusians, can reduce Russia's sphere of influence in the country," she said.
Kolesnikova assessed this as an important goal for the European security system.
She also specifically mentioned the recent negotiations between Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov. The meeting took place in New York within the framework of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.