Belarus opposition leader urges Austria to do more to counter Lukashenko
21/11/2021 12:47
VIENNA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Belarusian opposition leader in
exile Svetlana Tikhanouskaya urged Austria's government and
Austrian companies present in Belarus to do more to help her
allies against President Alexander Lukashenko in remarks
published on Sunday.
Her comments in a joint interview with Austrian newspapers
Kleine Zeitung and Die Presse come on the eve of a video
conference hosted by Austria in support of Belarusian civil
society in the face of a crackdown on opposition by Lukashenko's
government. Tikhanouskaya helped organise the conference.
Austrian companies are among the most important European
Union firms in Belarus. Raiffeisen Bank International's
RBIV.VI Priorbank is the fourth-biggest bank in the country in
terms of loans, and phone operator A1 Telekom Austria TELA.VI
has a share of roughly 42% of its mobile market.
"We understand that large companies like A1 do not want to
give up their business activities in our country," Tikhanouskaya
said.
"However, they could make their presence subject to certain
conditions and make clear that their employees cannot be thrown
in prison simply because they have a different opinion to
Lukashenko."
Austria could take in students expelled from university in
Belarus, she added.
Lukashenko claimed a resounding victory in last year's
presidential election despite the widely held view that the vote
was fraudulent. Various opposition groups say Tikhanouskaya won.
The resulting crackdown has involved hundreds thrown in
prison, allegations that opposition activists were tortured, and
spurred a lively opposition movement in countries like Latvia,
Lithuania and Germany where many Belarusians live.
In the latest confrontation between the EU and Minsk since
the election, Europe accuses Belarus of flying in thousands of
people from the Middle East and pushing them to cross the Polish
border into the EU. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2SB060
Monday's conference, which was switched to a virtual format
because Austria is going into a COVID-19 lockdown that day, is
due to feature the foreign ministers of Germany, Finland,
Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia and Slovakia. The Belarusian
government declined to take part.
The aim is to seek "constructive approaches for a peaceful,
dialogue-based solution" in Belarus, Austria says.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy
Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
((francois.murphy@thomsonreuters.com))