PM Denkov after meeting with Tikhanouskaya: Belarus is an example of how democratic rules can be broken

"Belarus is an example of how in a highly developed European country democratic rules can be broken and the result is the establishment of a dictatorship that does not allow the development of an opposition democratic movement in the country. The choice is if you have a different opinion from the government either to go to jail or leave the country," Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said after a meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya at the Council of Ministers on March 5.

In his words, there is no country that is insured from such a development.

"The only insurance is that democratic rules are respected, that no people have unlimited power. When there are terms of offices of Presidents those terms should be limited in number, regardless of how they are elected, because the temptation to go to a dictatorial regime history shows is extremely great," Denkov added.

"The opponents of the government in Belarus who have stood up against it could be detained for years. We have shown that we are on the side of the Ukrainians because they care not only about their country, we are interconnected. There cannot be peace and security in Belarus under these conditions. We call on Bulgaria to support the Ukrainians. We are facing occupation. In Ukraine they are fighting against Russian missiles, while in Belarus we are fighting against the subjugation of our institutions. Russia is trying to destroy our people. I encourage the Bulgarian Government and people to support Belarus against Russian ambitions. The Belarus regime is linked to Putin. As long as the Belarusians support the Ukrainians, we are not alone in our struggle," said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian opposition.

Images by BGNES

Deputy Prime Minister, Mariya Gabriel, said it was important to distinguish between the Belarusian regime and the Belarusian people.

"We condemn Minsk's role as an accomplice of Russia. We need to be vigilant in terms of circumventing sanctions. We stand by European support for the Belarusian people. Bulgaria clearly and consistently supports these efforts," Mariya Gabriel added.

Earlier today, National Assembly Speaker Rosen Zhelyazkov spoke with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya He assured her that Bulgaria supports the efforts of the opposition in Belarus to establish a democratic socio-political order in the country.

Tikhanouskaya stressed that Bulgaria's experience in the accession process and its positions in the EU would be extremely useful for Belarus.

"The Bulgarian and Belarusian people share a similar historical fate and our aspiration is to contribute to better knowledge and development of our relations. We are grateful for your country's support for EU initiatives aimed at supporting Belarusian civil society," Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the Speaker of the National Assembly.