Joe Biden received Wednesday, July 28 at the White House the Belarusian opponent in exile Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, in Washington for ten days.
"The United States stands alongside the Belarusian people in their quest for democracy and universal human rights," the American president said in a tweet accompanied by a photo showing him conversing with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
I was honored to meet with @Tsihanouskaya at the White House this morning.
The United States stands with the people of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human rights.
pic.twitter.com/SdR6w4IBNZ
- President Biden (@POTUS) July 28, 2021
The opponent, who claims to have won the 2020 presidential election in Belarus, thanked the Democratic president "for a powerful sign of solidarity with the millions of courageous Belarusians who are fighting peacefully for their freedom."
"The world stands by our side," she added on the same social network.
Thank you, @POTUS, for a powerful sign of solidarity with millions of fearless Belarusians who are peacefully fighting for their freedom.
Today, Belarus is on the frontline of the battle between democracy and autocracy.
The world stands with us.
Belarus will be a success story.
pic.twitter.com/uwmItljDUp
- Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) July 28, 2021
His meeting with Joe Biden was an "honor" for the latter, and an "opportunity for him to personally express his support for the people of Belarus," added a senior US executive, on condition of anonymity.
>> To see, our Interview: "Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, Belarusian opposition leader: 'We want a new country'"
Call to strengthen US sanctions
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who arrived in the capital of the United States on July 18, also met with the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, to whom she transmitted a list of public Belarusian companies against which Washington should issue statements. sanctions or strengthen existing ones.
"Only Belarusians themselves can lead the country towards democratic change, but we hope for an active American participation and not only symbolic", she launched during a round table organized by the Association of correspondents in the department. of American state.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who entered politics after her husband's imprisonment, fled to Lithuania after claiming to have beaten President Lukashenko in the election of August 9, 2020, which was followed by large pro-democracy protests violently repressed by the government .
With AFP
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