The Belarusian crisis must be resolved primarily by Belarusians

At one of the protests in Minsk, October 25, 2020. Photo: Uncredited/AP/dpa/picture-alliance

It is unacceptable for the future of the Belarusian people to be decided without their participation — "nothing about us without us".

The narrative that Europe needs to talk to Lukashenko is ambiguous. It is noteworthy that democratic forces are excluded from this process. It is as if they do not exist. This means the idea is for the EU to negotiate with Lukashenko over the heads of democratic forces and the democratically minded part of Belarusians.

We do not share this approach, which is why our proposal is a Round Table and National Dialogue, where democratic forces and Belarusian society are direct actors, not passive observers. The Belarusian crisis must be resolved primarily by Belarusians and Belarusian politicians representing them — in a sovereign dialogue. Otherwise, we simply hand over Belarusian politics into someone else’s hands.

Lukashenko has always unilaterally broken agreements with the EU. The time has long come to negotiate with Belarusian society. Belarusians have proven their agency, enduring the most massive repression Europe has seen in decades.

Therefore, Lukashenko must take substantial steps to change internal repressive and external aggressive policies.

If Lukashenko and his elites are not ready to start a dialogue, they should continue to live under sanctions and pressure.

The role of European allies is undoubtedly important, but we cannot simply delegate the fate of our country to someone else or outsource the resolution of the Belarusian crisis. We are actors, not objects. This is the essence of being what is called Belarusian democratic forces and Belarusian politicians.

When evaluating the role and approaches of European partners toward Belarus and Lukashenko, it is important not to forget that Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine continues, and European countries stand fundamentally on Ukraine’s side and clearly assess Lukashenko’s role in the aggression against Ukraine.

We count on European partners to give a very clear response to Lukashenko regarding his intentions to repeat, once again, the story of dialogue with Europe. First, he must negotiate with society. Negotiating with society means implementing systemic, not cosmetic, changes to internal repressive and external aggressive policies.

---