Seimas urges the international community to give its assessment of the union imposed on Belarus by the Russian Federation

Press release, 10 September 2020

Photo by Olga Posaškova, Office of the Seimas

The Resolution adopted by the Seimas in response to the latest events in the neighbouring Belarus calls on the international community to support the request of the only legitimate representatives of the Belarusian people – Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, elected by the Belarusian people as the nation’s leader, and the Coordination Council, set up under her initiative – to hold new transparent and democratic parliamentary and presidential elections in Belarus.

Any action in domestic and foreign policy made by Alexander Lukashenko, an illegitimate leader of Belarus, aimed at legitimising his power and concluding new international agreements with Russia which restrict the sovereignty of the Belarusian people, are to be seen as a crime against his own people, null and void, and not recognized by the international community, as they constitute de facto annexation of the country.

The Resolution calls on the international community to demand that the Russian Federation refrains from interfering in internal and foreign policy of Belarus. The Resolution also calls on the international community to deny support to any actions of the illegitimate Belarusian leader aimed at concluding new cross-border treaties that would restrict the sovereignty of the Belarusian people; to impose additional sanctions against the Russian Federation and the representatives of the illegitimate leader of Belarus if attempts are made to unlawfully limit the sovereignty of the country against the will of the Belarusian people; and to offer the Belarusian nation and its legitimate representatives a range of political, economic, financial, visa facilitation and other assistance measures after new, transparent and democratic elections are held in the country.

The Draft Resolution No XIIIP-5158 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on Illegitimate Union Imposed by Russia on Belarus was unanimously adopted by 91 Members of the Seimas who participated in the voting.

Saulė Eglė Trembo, Chief Specialist, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 239 6203, e-mail: [email protected]