Sweden will keep the Belarusian agenda at a high level in the EU

Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management (NAM) Pavel Latushka, Speaker of the Coordination Council Artsiom Brukhan, the new representative of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for relations with the Belarusian democratic forces, Ambassador Patrik Svensson, and Head of the Eastern Europe Department of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Division of the Swedish MFA Tove Wennergren. Warsaw, Poland, 2025.Photo: NAM Media

Issues related to actions aimed at the release of political prisoners, sanctions policy against the Lukashenka regime, and the activities of Belarusian democratic institutions were discussed during the meeting between Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Head of the NAM Pavel Latushka, and the new representative of the Swedish MFA for relations with the Belarusian democratic forces, Ambassador Patrik Svensson, as well as Tove Wennergren, Head of the Eastern Europe Department of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Division of the Swedish MFA.

The meeting took place in Warsaw and was also attended by the Speaker of the Coordination Council, Artsiom Brukhan.

During the meeting, Pavel Latushka presented information about the work of the National Anti-Crisis Management and the Cabinet aimed at holding Lukashenka accountable for crimes against humanity committed against the Belarusian people, for the war crime of deporting Ukrainian children from the occupied territories of Ukraine, and for the act of aggression against Ukraine.

The Deputy Head of the Cabinet appealed to the Swedish side for support of efforts to bring representatives of the regime to justice and emphasized the importance of such support from EU member states.

When discussing the issue of political prisoners, it was particularly noted that the current situation resembles a continuous conveyor belt: despite the release of a small group of political prisoners, Lukashenka’s regime continues to expand the scale of repressions in Belarus.

The Swedish diplomat noted that the goal of his work would be to continue Sweden’s support for the democratic forces of Belarus. He emphasized that the Swedish government proceeds from a long-term strategy of supporting the democratic aspirations of Belarusians. He specifically underlined that Sweden has always taken and will continue to take steps to keep the focus on the Belarusian agenda at the highest possible level within the European Union.

"Sweden has always played a particularly leading role in supporting the democratic aspirations of Belarusian society. We highly value the position of the Swedish government and its readiness to strategically support Belarusians in their pursuit of democratic changes in our country. I hope for fruitful cooperation with the new representative of the Swedish MFA for relations with the Belarusian democratic forces",

— noted Pavel Latushka.

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