Belarus opp leader Tikhanovskaya to discuss future moves with German Chancellor Merkel

Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is set to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday, October 6 to force the Belarusian authorities for a dialogue, reported The Guardian.

While the standoff in the European nation is taking a geopolitical direction including Russia and the West, Tikhanovskaya is reported to have said that she will seek Germany’s intervention as a ‘mediator’ in negotiations between protest leaders and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Read - Belarus Authorities Revoke Credentials Of Foreign Media Journalists As Protests Continue

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who backs Lukashenko, has bluntly rejected to participate in the negotiations. However, the Belarusian opposition leader said in an interview with the media outlet that she will discuss ways ‘to put pressure’ on the authorities with Merkel because Belurasians believe that its the only way to force the government into a dialogue with people.

Nationwide protests have rocked Belarus after August 9 general elections results gave Lukashenko a sixth consecutive term in the office. The opposition has decried the election as ‘rigged’ and Tikhanovskaya, who officially only received 10 percent of the votes, declared herself as a national leader.

The Lukashenko challenger said that Belurasians already consider the long time leader's rule as ‘illegitimate’. While Tikhanovskaya fled Belarus and has been based in Lithuania, tensions between the European Union (EU) and Lukashenko authorities have escalated.

Read - US Imposes Sanctions On Belarusian Officials For 'falsifying' Election Results

Belarus hits back EU with retaliatory sanctions

Earlier on Friday, Belarus announced retaliatory sanctions against the European Union and even threatened to revise its diplomatic relations with the 27-nation-bloc. This came after the EU imposed sanctions on nearly 40 Belurasian officials who were accused of ‘falsifying' August election results that triggered nationwide unrest. Even though the Belarus Foreign Ministry's statement did not include the list of sanctions, it said that “the Belarusian side, starting from today, puts into effect a retaliatory sanctions list.”

Threatening “more serious consequences” if the EU intensifies the “sanctions flywheel”, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said that it could abandon the joint programs and projects or revise the diplomatic relations it currently shares with the union. The statement also said that Belarus has always been against confrontation but is determined to respond to “unfriendly actions” to protect national security. 

Read - Belarus Hits Back EU With Retaliatory Sanctions, Threatens 'more Serious Consequences'

Read - Merkel Says EU Sanction On Belarus 'important Signal' For Those Who Hinder Democracy