BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd November, 2021) �Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel has discussed with Belarusian opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya the internal political situation in Belarus, as well as the migration crisis, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Monday.
"Chancellor Angela Merkel and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya exchanged views today on the internal political situation in Belarus and the tough situation on the border between Belarus and the European Union," Seibert told reporters.
Merkel reiterated support for the "Belarusian democratic movement" and stressed that Minsk should stop "repressions against the opposition, independent journalists," as well as release all arrested activists and engage in a dialogue with the society to overcome the ongoing crisis.
After the victory of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the August 2020 election, the country plunged into a series of nationwide anti-government protests, with the opposition insisting that the vote was rigged. The opposition and its supporters maintain that Tikhanovskaya was the true winner.
