Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) host Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other members of the Belarusian democratic opposition, Volha Kavalkova and Pavel Latushka, for a debate on the latest political developments and the popular uprising in Belarus, in the European Parliament in Brussels. Opening by David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), AFET Chair. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

AFET - Situation in Belarus: opening by David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), AFET Chair

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SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), So, ladies and gentlemen, we will continue now our meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), I would like to welcome all colleagues here present in the room and also all colleagues who are connected remotely in front of the video and computer screens across our continent. Before I welcome our guest speakers. Let me first make an important internal announcement for this committee.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), Since the 16th of September. That means just a few days. We have a new head of unit in the secretariat who's taking care of his foreign affairs committee. I would like to officially welcome in his new position. Mr. Adolfo Barbera Del Rosal. Could just stand up for a moment. A warm welcome.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), So, Mr. Barbera Del Rosal will be sitting up front next to me. He has worked for many years in the European Parliament for the last 10 years. He worked in the econ committee as head of the secretariat. Later on the policy department. And he was seconded to Michel Barnier team for the withdrawal agreement, negotiations with the UK government. So looking forward to a good cooperation. I am pleased also with all the political representatives in this parliament.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), Now, colleagues, we start this afternoon session with a discussion on the situation in Belarus. It is a topic that remains at the top of our agenda. This part of the meeting is being held in an extended format joint with the Subcommittee on Human Rights and in association with the delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly and the Delegation for Relations with Belarus.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), I would like to welcome you all, both here in Brussels and in front of your screens, especially Maria Arena as chairwoman of DROI, Andrius Kubilius for our Euronest colleagues and Robert Biedron, who chairs the Belarus delegation. Let me also welcome the large, large number of interested people following us on the Web stream for this meeting.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), I hope that we also have viewers in Belarus. Please note that for this discussion, we do have interpretation in Russian language during the plenary session last week. The European Parliament held a debate on Belarus with the Vice-President of the Commission and the high representative who was at Burrell. We also adopted a resolution on the situation in Belarus. The situation in Belarus for us as a European Parliament is very clear.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), We reject the results of the so-called presidential elections that took place in Belarus on the 9th of August as they were conducted in flagrant violation of all internationally recognised standards. We will not recognise Mr. Lukashenko as president of Belarus.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), Once his current term of office expires, the European Parliament condemns in the strongest possible terms for Belarussian authorities, for their violent repression of peaceful protests for justice, freedom and democracy. In the wake of the fraudulent presidential elections, mass arrests once again took place this weekend, brutally targeting the participants of the women's marches on Saturday.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), Yesterday's March of justice in Minsk and other demonstrations across the country. The violence must be stopped immediately. All persons detained for political reasons must be released immediately and unconditionally, and all charges against them must be dropped. We strongly support sanctions of the EU against individuals responsible for the falsification of election results and the repression in Belarus, including Mr Lukashenko.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), We support the calls by the Belarussian people for the organisation of new, free and fair elections to take place as soon as possible under international supervision led by the OSCE Odia and in accordance with internationally recognised standards. Mass protests are taking place in Belarus because the people reject the official elections results as blatantly falsified.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), They regard Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as the true winner of the presidential election. Her candidacy was the catalyst that woke up and united the nation. Her personal courage and sacrifice continues to be an inspiration for many, both in Belarus and abroad. She continues to be the voice expressing the demands of the majority of the Belarussians who for her and who voted for her and who continue to defy the authorities trying to silence from.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), Miss Tsikhanouskaya, it is a great honour to welcome you to our meeting today.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), This is your second appearance before this committee already on the 25th of August, you joined us by video link from Vilnius and made a statement during an extra ordinary meeting of AFET, which was devoted to the situation in your country. I'm grateful that you accepted our invitation and agreed to attend our meeting in person.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), What Belarus needs now is a peaceful and democratic transition of power as a result of an inclusive national dialogue. We welcome the Coordination Council, which was initiated by Mrs Tsikhanouskaya to act as a temporary institutional partner in this dialogue process. It represents for people who are demanding democratic change, and it is open to all political and social stakeholders.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), However, the Lukashenko authorities responded to the creation of the Coordination Council with persecution and intimidation. Out of seven members, its presiding only the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature laureate Svetlana Alexievich...in Belarus, serious concerns regarding her safety persists despite the exceptional support she has received from European diplomats.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), Four members Liliya Vlasova, Maxim Znak, Sergei Dylevsky and Maryia Kalesnikava have been arrested. We demand that they are released immediately. I'm very pleased to welcome to our meeting the remaining two members of the residium of the Coordination Council. There's Volha Kavalkova who is with us also this afternoon. A warm welcome to you to. And connected remotely, I understand, from Warsaw is Pavel Latushko.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), Due to threats and harassment by the authorities, Ms Kavalkova and Mr Latushko were also forced to leave Belarus, but are continuing their activities from Poland. Miss Kavalkova with us today and Mr. Latushko is, as I mentioned, joining us via video link. That's all from my side. We today had the unique opportunity to hear the views of key members of the opposition who are continuing their struggle for democratic change in Belarus.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), I would therefore like to give the floor first to you, Ms Tsikhanouskaya for ten minutes, then the floor to Volha Kavalokova for ten minutes, then the floor to Pavel Latushko for ten minutes. And then we will have around with representatives of the political groups and further colleagues. And at the end, Maria Arena for DROI will conclude our meeting. To the second Oscar. Yeah. The floor is yours.

AFET - Situation in Belarus: opening by David McALLISTER (EPP, DE), AFET Chair

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