Tsikhanouskaya Urges Europe Not to Look Away

A question linking Minsk, Serbia and the Republic of Kosovo exposed a deeper concern in London over leaders who play Brussels and Moscow against each other while democracy erodes.

The rain had eased over Westminster by early evening, leaving the pavements slick and reflective as people filed into Europe House, the European Union’s diplomatic outpost just a short walk from Parliament. Inside, the light was warm and the rows of chairs filled quickly. The subject of the night was the future of Belarus in a peaceful Europe, though few in the room doubted how distant that peace still felt.

On the stage, beneath the understated blue and yellow of the European Union, sat Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled Belarusian opposition leader now recognised by many Western governments as the legitimate representative of her country’s democratic movement. As guests settled in, Pedro Serrano, the EU’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, stepped to the lectern to open the evening.