French President Emmanuel Macron met on Tuesday in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaja. Macron’s office announced that on Monday.
Tichanovskaya earlier in the day asked Macron to mediate in the conflict in Belarus. She hopes that Macron can start a dialogue together with Russian President Vladimir Putin to find a solution.
In Belarus, demonstrations against President Alexander Lukashenko have been going on for weeks.
He was re-elected by a large majority in recent elections, but many Belarusians and foreign leaders doubt this result and do not recognize him as president. Macron said on Sunday that Lukashenko must resign.
The French president will visit Lithuania and Latvia, neighbouring countries of Belarus, in the coming days. He holds talks with, among others, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Latvian President Egils Levites. He will also visit French NATO troops in the region.
“Macron is one of the most vital world leaders so that he would be a good mediator.
Maybe he can persuade Putin to participate in the mediation,” Tichanovskaja said. The opposition leader has fled her country and moved to Vilnius, where Macron will arrive on Monday.