Pavel Latushka called on parliamentarians from EU member states to assist Belarusians in matters of legalization and obtaining visas

"I would like to thank all the representatives of European parliaments who have come to this meeting and, through you, express gratitude to your parliamentary delegations to PACE for granting a mandate to the delegation of the Belarusian democratic forces, composed of six members of the Coordination Council, to participate in the work of the Assembly", 

Emphasized Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus and member of the Coordination Council, during the third meeting of the Alliance of Parliamentary Groups ‘For Democratic Belarus’, held in Paris and organized by the National Assembly of France.

Pavel Latushka noted that during the work of the delegation of the Belarusian democratic forces in PACE, it was possible to introduce two significant amendments to the resolution on non-recognition of Lukashenka as president of the country, titled "The urgent need to hold free and fair elections in Belarus".

Amendments were also successfully introduced to a number of other PACE resolutions concerning the accountability of Lukashenka and his associates for the deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children, as well as to the resolution on responsibility for the act of aggression against Ukraine.

"This is very important, because on the one hand, it allows us not only to create a legal basis for future, as I hope, decisions within the framework of the International Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, but on the other hand — it gives us a unique opportunity to establish very good bilateral contacts with members of parliaments of the Council of Europe member states".

Pavel Latushka appealed to the attending parliamentarians to initiate meetings in the foreign ministries of their countries to improve the conditions for issuing visas to Belarusians, noting the growing difficulties Belarusians face in obtaining visas. When visas are issued, they are most often single-entry and valid for only a few days, which greatly complicates communication between Belarusians and Europe in general — and is especially difficult for those who, due to the regime’s repression, have been deprived of the possibility to return to Belarus and to communicate with their families.

During his speech, Pavel Latushka also stressed that the Lukashenka regime has effectively refused to fulfill the state’s obligations toward part of its citizens who were forced to leave Belarus due to the climate of fear and terror created by the regime. Belarusians abroad cannot obtain passports, extend their validity, or perform notarial acts in embassies and consular offices. All these are critical issues both for Belarusians themselves and for the European countries in which they reside.

Pavel Latushka called on parliamentarians, including in his capacity as a member of the Working Group on the Legalization of Belarusians in Poland under the Ministry of Interior of Poland, who receives daily appeals from Belarusians, to raise the issue of improving conditions for legalization of Belarusians during their meetings with the ministries of interior of their respective countries.

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