TALLINN – The presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland have called on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to stop using force against Belarusian people, immediately free all detained demonstrators, and start a dialogue with the nation.
“We, Presidents of Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Estonia as regional neighbors of Belarus, members of NATO and the EU, want Belarus to be a stable, democratic, independent and prosperous country,” the presidents said in a joint statement, as Interfax learned from the Estonian presidential press service.
The four presidents called upon the president of Belarus to:
“1. De-escalate the situation and terminate the use of force against your people immediately. We urge to stop violence and call for respect of fundamental freedoms, human and citizen rights including the freedom of speech, media, assembly and safety of journalists;
2. urgently release all detained protesters, stop further persecution;
3. immediately initiate a dialogue with the Belarusian people. Hear the voice of your citizens and let them speak out freely,” they said.
“Should Belarusian authorities meet these requirements, the doors for cooperation with international community should remain open. Isolation is not a way for any nation’s prosperity and development. We stand ready to offer our mediation efforts to reach a peaceful solution in Belarus and to strengthen your country’s independence and sovereignty,” the statement says.
The document has been signed by President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania, Kersti Kaljulaid of Estonia, Egils Levits of Latvia, and Andrzej Duda of Poland.
