Pedro Sánchez receives Belarusian opposition leader Svletana Tikhanovskaya

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

Foto: Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

The meeting - which took place in the margins of the International Conference 'Women's Bridges. Proposals from the South for Global Change', has provided the Government of Spain with an opportunity to send a clear message of support to the democratic opposition movement in Belarus.

For Pedro Sánchez, "Spain and Belarus may be geographically distant, but we feel more united than ever in the defence of the values and principles" that Svletana Tijanokskata represents. "We share the belief in a solution based on inclusive national dialogue, followed by OSCE-monitored elections".

Foto: Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

The opposition leader will receive the Charlemagne Prize on 26 May for her commitment and defence of the European project. She has also already been awarded the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. This is the third time that President Sánchez has met with Tikhanovskaya since 2020. "To welcome her is to welcome a free and resilient Belarus vis-à-vis repression unprecedented in Europe since the end of the Cold War".

Non official translation