Ávarp á málþingi lýðræðisafla Belarús í Vilníus

I thank my dear friend Sviatlana and her team for the invitation to join you this morning, it is a pleasure to be here. Sviatlana - your courage and fight for a free and democratic Belarus is a true inspiration.

It is said - tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.

If this is true, I am honored and truly humbled by being in this company of friends today. 

***

These are times of turbulance and danger. I have often said that for me and my generation in the West, it is surprising to have suddenly become preoccupied by the prospect that peace is not guaranteed. Of course, this only shows that I speak from a place of privilege that has been taken for granted, but nevertheless - it is true.

It is also true that those who have enjoyed the privilege of peace for a very long time have become blind to dangers posed to the very ideas and systems that form the foundation of that peace. Freedom, human rights and democracy have been taken for granted in many countries, including my own.

However, these rights are being challenged as well - mostly from within our own societies but with active participation of malign forces that seek to undermine the foundations of a liberal democracy. And, unfortunately, in the past few years they have made progress—even in places where the respect for these principles has been thought to be firmly entrenched.

There has been increased complacency regarding the need to defend these principles - and for many it has led to apathy, a dangerous mindset that can be exploited by populists, autocrats and those who aim to violate our freedoms.

***

So the struggle for a free Belarus and the outcome of the brutal Russian invasion on Ukraine are not matters that only have consequences for the people of Belarus and the people of Ukraine. I believe that these matter can have significant consequences and reverberate far beyond these countries.

So, keeping Belarus high on our agendas is absolutely critical. This was important back in 2020, following Lukashenko’s violent clampdown on protesters following the fraudulent elections, and has only grown in importance ever since.

The most recent turn of events in the Russia-Belarus relationship, including the potential of Belarus storing Russian nuclear weapons, the arrival of Wagner mercenaries in the country, and the overall deepening of Russia-Belarusian military integration, all have serious implications for our region´s security. 

These developments also put in question Belarus´ sovereignty, which seems to be increasingly compromised by Lukashenko´s growing political and economic dependence on Russia. Gone are the days when Lukashenka tried to represent some sort of a balance between the East and the West.

***

Dear friends.

Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.

Indeed.

This is of course very true of the man claiming the presidency of Belarus - Aleksandr Lukaschnko. In the past few years he has been busy advertising his friendship with a man who is now wanted for the war crime of stealing Ukranian children from their homes.

And now - it seems that he is actively claiming best friend status with a notorious mercenary whose conduct around the world has been the subject of universal condemnation.

***

Putin and Lukashenko share the objective to quell democracy, justice, and individual freedoms for their people. They offer a future of repression and stagnation, rather than modernization and prosperity. This is the same vision Putin has for Ukraine. 

But this is a vision that the people of Ukraine are rejecting by their heroic reisistance to Russia's war. And it is a vision that the brave protesters of Belarus objected following the elections of 2020.

A large majority of the people of Belarus have already chosen which way they want to go – and it is surely not the way of Lukashenka and Putin.

For Belarusians to realize the goal of a free, democratic, and truly sovereign Belarus, the international community needs to stand behind the forces fighting for that goal. 

***

In my mind - your struggle is not only for the benefit of the people of Belarus, but for all peoples who want to defend liberal democracies against autocrats.

As I stand here with my friend and colleague from Portugal, Mr Joao Gomes Cravinho - I am reminded that the origins of the international human rights organization Amnesty International was the decision by a few people in the United Kingdom to not sit idly by when they heard of injustices done to students in Portugal, under an autocratic government.

Then, like now, there are people who make the decision not to be bystanders when others face injustice.

Leaders like my courageous friend Sviatlana are making sacrifices so others may have better lives. It is the duty of us in liberal democracies to make their fight our fight. Not only because it helps them, but because their struggle is also part of the defense of the principles that we want to govern our own societies.

We need to provide support to human rights defenders, civil society, independent media, and journalists that continue their fight despite the brutality of the regime. And, perhaps most of all, we need to keep Belarus on our agendas and continue to keep external pressure on Lukashenka. 

On our side, Iceland uses many occasions and platforms to lend your fight for a free and democratic Belarus our voice, asserting our dismay over the regime´s abhorrent behavior and expressing solidarity with those who suffer.

Iceland has also provided financial support both to the European Endowment for Democracy and the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, as well as funding for European Humanities University, supporting amongst others Belarusian students. I hope these initiatives will receive the support of many others.

***

Dear friends.

You will continue to have our support, our gratitude and our friendship.