The US government will “very soon” have a special envoy for Belarus, to coordinate Washington’s efforts to bolster the country’s Lithuania-based opposition, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told senators
The pledge was made during a visit to the US by Belarusian opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who urged Western nations to “de-recognize” the government in Minsk
Blinken was questioned about the lack of a special envoy for Belarus by Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire during a budget hearing held by the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday. Without such an official, “there is no one who could encourage the Europeans and the US to work together or to serve as a conduit for the opposition movement,” the lawmaker claimed
The secretary of state said he was considering appointing “a senior official in our European Affairs Bureau to also serve as the envoy, to be able to then go in and out, engaged at senior levels with the opposition
The department already has a Belarus Affairs Unit in Lithuania, where many of the opposition forces are based, and the envoy would complement “day-in and day-out engagement” by that office, Blinken suggested
Belarus, a key ally of Russia, underwent mass protests and riots in 2020, after the opposition accused President Alexander Lukashenko’s government of rigging the ballot to ensure his re-election
Presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has emerged as the West’s preferred choice of anti-Lukashenko figurehead in the wake of the turmoil. She is currently touring the US to meet senior officials in Washington and rally support
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met her on Wednesday to outline the US “intent to launch a comprehensive Strategic Dialogue” with Belarusian opposition forces and “bring together relevant agencies of the US government engaged on Belarus,” according to a statement released by the State Department
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