Tsikhanouskaya is going to New York. She might cross paths with Lukashenka's representatives, but the main intrigue is not yet revealed

The general debates of the 81st UN session will begin on September 22 and continue until September 28. During these days, heads of state, prime ministers, foreign ministers, and other high-ranking officials gather at the organization's headquarters. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's team calls this event the "Olympics of world diplomacy."

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya herself will not speak from the General Assembly rostrum: Belarus is officially represented there by Lukashenka's government. Her team is focusing on meetings on the sidelines of the UN — both pre-planned and short conversations that arise already in New York.

"For democratic Belarus, this is a unique opportunity to be heard at the highest level. Tsikhanouskaya has a number of important meetings scheduled. We are working on conversations with world leaders, foreign ministers, and other high-ranking officials. There will also be meetings with US representatives, including American senators," Dzianis Kuchynski, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's advisor on diplomacy, told Nasha Niva.

The team is not yet disclosing the full list of interlocutors: some meetings are still being coordinated, and some may take place directly during High-Level Week.

A few minutes in the corridor can launch a political process

Tsikhanouskaya's team attaches special importance to informal contacts. People whose meetings would otherwise take months to prepare find themselves in the same building and at the same receptions.

"In diplomacy, things are very often decided not only at the official table, but also during a brief conversation in the corridor, at a reception, or between events. In a few minutes, you can convey Belarus's position directly to a decision-maker, agree on a subsequent meeting, or launch a new political process," Dzianis Kuchynski explains.

Павялічыць

In previous years, short contacts between Tsikhanouskaya's team and representatives of official Minsk also occurred in New York. According to Kuchynski, on the sidelines of the General Assembly, they crossed paths with Uladzimir Makei, Siarhei Aleinik, and Maksim Ryzhenkov, who headed the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in different years.

During such conversations, representatives of democratic forces, as the advisor claims, spoke about the need to stop repression, release political prisoners, and begin a dialogue with Belarusian society.

Whether a similar contact will happen this year is unknown beforehand. But the likelihood of crossing paths remains: delegations from official Minsk and democratic forces will again work in the same diplomatic space.

A separate meeting on Belarus and "an important surprise"

The central event of the visit should be a separate event dedicated to Belarus. It will be hosted by the Permanent Representation of the European Union to the UN. The participation of foreign ministers and other high-ranking representatives from various countries is expected.

The Belarusian issue is planned to be discussed not only as an internal political crisis and the problem of repression. Tsikhanouskaya's team wants to talk about Belarus's place in the regional and European security system.

Last year, a similar meeting gathered more than 40 representatives of foreign policy departments and international organizations. And in 2024, during an event on the sidelines of the General Assembly, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for diplomatic ways to release political prisoners. Several countries then declared their readiness to support the International Humanitarian Fund for Aid to the Repressed.

This year's list of participants is still kept secret.

"We'll leave a small intrigue: we expect the participation of some new ministers and partners who have not previously participated in such a Belarusian format. I think this will be an important and significant surprise," says Dzianis Kuchynski.

In addition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is expected to attend several international events involving world leaders.

Why Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya needs to go to New York again

The trip takes place at a time when the attention of Western countries is focused on wars, security, and the restructuring of international relations. Securing a place on the agenda requires competing with dozens of crises, and the Belarusian theme, six years after the 2020 elections, no longer has the novelty it once did.

That is why annual participation in High-Level Week has practical significance for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's team: in a few days, it is possible to meet with dozens of politicians whom one would otherwise have to travel to different countries to meet.

Павялічыць

"Now, when the future of world and European security is being decided, it is fundamentally important for us that democratic Belarus does not fall off the international agenda. High-Level Week provides a rare opportunity to be where key conversations of world diplomacy take place, and to directly convey the Belarusian position to decision-makers," emphasizes Dzianis Kuchynski.

Who exactly Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will meet in New York and who will be the announced "surprise," her team promises to announce during the visit.

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