На русском языке:
Глава МИД Литвы Ландсбергис: «Большая часть граждан Беларуси скорее заложники режима, чем активно и сознательно его поддерживают»
На беларускай мове:
Кіраўнік МЗС Літвы Ландсбергіс: «Большая частка грамадзян Беларусі хутчэй закладнікі рэжыму, чым актыўна і свядома яго падтрымліваюць»
In an interview with Delfi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis again spoke about the visa ban for Russians and Belarusians.
The Minister (Landsbergis) says that there is also still no answer to the question of whether entry should be denied only to Russian tourists or also to Belarusians.
«We see the difference between the two countries in terms of their citizens’ attitude towards the war. Most of the citizens of Belarus can be considered hostages of their regime, rather than actively and consciously supporting it, supporting the actions of the regime,» the head of the Lithuanian diplomatic agency says.
On the other hand, according to him, it is not right when Belarusians who left their home because of the threat to their lives see a businessman, who supports the Minsk regime and whose company is on the sanctions list, having fun in Lithuania, while he is not on the list.
Anton Motolko, the founder of the projects Belarusian Hajun, MotolkoHelp, Dze.chat and coordinator on Belarus at the analytical center iSANS, commented on the speech of the Lithuanian Foreign Minister:
«I like the fact that the tone of the statements in the context of the visa ban against all Belarusians based on their passport is changing, and the reasons are being explained. And there is a counter suggestion what can be done not to ban everyone randomly and not to create an additional structure to verify people.
Why not consider such a mechanism: the Schengen Code could include a reason to obtain a C type visa for people who have friends and relatives in the EU, who are in the EU for humanitarian reasons (humanitarian visas and residence permits), and who want to see them. Persons repressed by the Lukashenka regime should not be deprived of contact with their relatives and loved ones just because of the EU visa regime, because they were ALREADY restricted by the Lukashenka regime (the ban on exit from Belarus, which was lifted only this spring). This is just one option just to consider.
We continue to follow the topic. And thanks to all of the Belarusians who worked with the foreign ministries and politicians of their countries on visa issues for Belarusians!»
