On 20 September 2020, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, met with the Belarusian presidential candidate, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in Riga, to share views and to hear her perspective on developments in Belarus.
During their meeting, Edgars Rinkēvičs supported the position that the EU should be promoting dialogue with the opposition and civil society and insist on holding a new presidential election. The Foreign Minister pledged Latvia’s support for the idea of establishing a United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Belarus to produce a report on human rights violations in Belarus. The EU should also continue supporting Belarusian civil society, including, through reallocation of financial aid in such a way that it serves to strengthen independent media and promotes the development of education.
The Foreign Minister also noted that Latvia supports imposition, as soon as possible, of individual restrictive measures on persons responsible for fraudulent election results and violence against Belarusian people. At the same time, sanctions and restrictive measures should be applied in a manner that does not negatively impact Belarusian society.
At their meeting, the Minister informed Ms Tsikhanouskaya, that Latvia has channelled EUR 150,000 in support of Belarusian civil society for psychological, medical, practical and legal assistance to those affected by violence, as well as EUR 50,000 in provision of treatment and rehabilitation for people injured in the brutal crackdowns by Belarusian authorities on protests.