BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th December, 2020) German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier plans to meet with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader in exile and an ex-presidential candidate, on December 14, the president's press office said on Wednesday.
No details about the upcoming meeting have been provided, and no press statements from the presidency are expected.
Belarus is experiencing political turmoil since the August 9 election, when incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko's victory, declared by the country's Central Electoral Commission, was not recognized by the opposition. Large-scale anti-government protests are ongoing to this day, as the opposition and its supporters believe that Tikhanovskaya was the true victor. Shortly after the election, the opposition leader fled to Lithuania, from where she continues rallying support from European leaders. Tikhanovskaya has already met with many EU heads of state and government.
The Western countries have refused to recognize Lukashenko as president and imposed targeted sanctions against Belarusian officials, citing alleged election fraud and violence against protesters. The Belarusian authorities have repeatedly said that anti-government demonstrations in the republic were being coordinated from abroad.
