Estonia, Tsikhanouskaya to organize event on Belarus at UN General Assembly

TALLINN – On Monday, Estonia and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will organize a an event on the sidelines of the opening week of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly with a focus on the crisis in Belarus and the impact it has on the region and global security.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said last week Estonia is continuing its steadfast support for the democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus and has made sure the grave violations of human rights and international law by the Belarusian authorities would not go unnoticed.

"Over the past two years, the illegitimate regime in Belarus has expanded its criminal activities and become an international threat. The people of Belarus, who have long been waiting for a democratic future of their country, have been submitted to brutal political persecution, torture and exile. This is why it is important for the voice of democratic Belarus to be heard at the main event of multilateral diplomacy at the UN and therefore, Estonia supports the initiative of the Belarusian opposition leader to attend the events of the opening week of the UN session," Reinsalu said.  

"Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and we are organizing a side event at Estonia’s mission to the UN with a focus on the Belarusian crisis and the impact it has on the region and global security. The foreign minister highlighted that Lukashenka’s regime has endangered the safety of international air traffic, used vulnerable migrants to organize a hybrid attack and served as an accomplice in Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine where even civilians are shown no mercy," the minister added.

From Sept. 19 to 24, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu will be in New York for the opening week of UN General Assembly’s 77th session, dozens of bilateral meetings and side events focused on Russia's war in Ukraine. The Estonian delegation is headed by President Alar Karis.