Former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said she would like to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tikhanovskaya’s headquarters told Interfax Tikhanovskaya had arrived in Berlin on Oct. 5 and had met with representatives of the Belarusian diaspora, where she said she wanted to meet with the Russian leader.
“With Vladimir Putin – to understand why he supports Lukashenko,” she said, responding to a question as to with whom she would like to meet as a politician.
Responding to a question as to with whom Tikhanovskaya would like to meet not as a politician, she said” With Sergei Tikhanovsky (Tikhanovskaya’s husband who is under arrest in Belarus).”
During the meeting, Tikhanovskaya said she hopes that Belarusians who have left Belarus for political motives will be able to return home sooner or later.
She also said she hopes her visits to European capitals will promote prompt organization of a new presidential election in Belarus.
German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Oct. 5German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host Tikhanovskaya on Oct. 6 as “a leading and key figure of the Belarusian opposition.”
He did not specify what precisely the meeting in Belarus will address.
“I cannot comment on that prematurely,” Seibert said.
Tikhanovskaya earlier said in an interview with Spiegel she plans to discuss with Merkel the prospects of Berlin’s participation as a mediator if talks begin between the Belarusian authorities and opposition.
