MINSK, 23 July (BelTA) – The House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus hosted a meeting of Belarusian MPs with leaders of Friends of Volhynia, an organization of Belarusian diaspora in Ukraine on 23 July, BelTA has learned.
Since August 2020, the diaspora leaders have been actively supporting Belarus, staging monthly pickets at the embassy of Belarus in Kyiv. On 8 July this year, during a regular picket at the Belarusian embassy in Kyiv, ethnic Belarusians who took part in the event were attacked.
“Today our most important task, of course, is to support such people. There are a lot of them not only in Ukraine, but also in other European states. We keep in touch with them. These are people who understand what is really happening in our country, in the whole world today. They do not only stand in solidarity with us, they also actively speak up for Belarus in the countries of residence, which causes all sorts of unpleasant incidents. Our duty is to support them. If official authorities of some states do not want to cooperate (it is clear for what reasons), then naturally we should work with representatives of civil society. They are opinion leaders, leaders of public associations. I would like to thank them for their work and the solid position they have stuck to for several years,” Sergei Klishevich, a member the House of Representatives of Belarus, said.
The MP noted that Belarus will not disregard such unfriendly moves against the country and Belarusians. “We will not keep silent. This is a solid, clear position of our country,” he stressed.
According to Head of the Friends of Volhynia organization Mikhail Kononovich, the attack on ethnic Belarusians is an open provocation planned against Belarus. “The attack near the embassy is an international scandal. Dear fellow compatriots, we thank you and Belarus. We appreciate your support and thank you for not abandoning us,” he said. “We, ethnic Belarusians and citizens of Ukraine, support our historical homeland, and our position absolutely differs from that of the official Ukrainian government. It doesn't matter where we live - in Ukraine, Germany, USA - we must support our historical homeland, not be afraid to speak up. We must stand up for our homeland to the end. And we will, of course, continue to voice our position in support of Belarus. Unfortunately, some Belarusians do not appreciate many things that we can only dream of in Ukraine - free medical care, good roads and order. You just do not understand, you have nothing to compare with,” he added.
