Lithuania and Latvia made a demand to Belarus

Lithuania and Latvia made statements on the occasion of the event in Belarus in August 2020. This is reported by the European media.

On the sixth anniversary of the presidential elections in Belarus in 2020, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on official Minsk to "immediately release all political prisoners and stop repressions against society." The statement also says that Vilnius "continues to express solidarity with Belarusians, who, despite repression, stand for democracy, human rights and the rule of law."

Lithuania also called on Minsk to "stop supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine and hybrid actions against the countries of the European Union, including the use of illegal migration as an instrument of political pressure." At the same time, Vilnius declared its "readiness to support the Belarusian civil society and democratic forces led by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya."

In turn, the Latvian Foreign Ministry recalled that on August 9, 2020, Belarusians went to mass protests after Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner of the elections. The ministry noted that "for six years the regime has continued its repressive policy," and "the number of political prisoners continues to grow, even more people are arbitrarily detained for "extremism.""

Riga also said that Belarus had launched a "hybrid campaign against its European neighbors, in particular using illegal migration." Latvia called on the Belarusian authorities to "stop repressions" and "expressed support for the people of Belarus in their desire to live in a free, democratic and sovereign state."

Lithuania and Latvia support the fugitive Belarusian opposition. After the failure of the coup in Belarus in 2020, Vilnius and Riga froze political and other contacts with Minsk.