Journalist Hanna Liubakova to host a show with MEPs on Belsat

— Hanna, what had to happen for you to decide to return to TV journalism, to Belsat, after 10 years, and become the host of the "Agora" program? Can this even be called a return?

— I hope it will be a return. I will host the first edition in Brussels, and then we'll see how everything develops.

As for the specific reasons why I took on this project, there's nothing conspiratorial — it just happened to be a format, a project, an idea that is very interesting to me and that I am happy to join. For the past few years, I have been writing mainly for English-language publications. My goal is to spread knowledge about Belarus specifically among foreigners. Belarusian journalists are doing an excellent job, but, let's say, there are not enough voices at the international level, so I decided to dedicate my time to precisely this. I work at the American analytical center Atlantic Council as a non-resident senior fellow and write for English-language publications.

And then I received an offer to lead a discussion in English at the European Parliament with European MEPs and experts. And for me, there are two interesting aspects to this. First, it's an opportunity to ask Europeans questions about Belarus, that is, to make them think about Belarus, so to speak. And second, to show Belarusians and explain to them what Europe thinks about us, how it sees possible changes in Belarus, how it sees Belarusians themselves. These are the two goals. And I like them very much. It just so happened. And that's how I ended up in the project.

The first edition of "Agora" appeared on Belsat this January, hosted by Ales Silich. Please remind readers of the program's unique features and concept.

— These are discussions that will take place, at least that's the plan, once a month — with the participation of MEPs and an invited Belarusian expert. The January edition had a number of segments, including one on events in Venezuela. This time, I plan to focus on the anniversary of the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, on the role of the regime in Belarus in this war. We will also try to talk about possible scenarios: how this might look for our country if there are peace negotiations, and what Belarusians think about it. And also — how Europe perceives our country. In short, we will proceed from ongoing geopolitical events, making our country relevant to these events. And Europeans will comment on this topic.

Павялічыць

Rasa Juknevičienė, expert Hanna Shtale, Hanna Liubakova, and MEP from Poland and former European Commissioner for the European budget Janusz Lewandowski. Screenshot: Belsat

— Who will speak on "Agora" in February? Whom have you invited to participate in the discussion?

— Invited are MEP and former Lithuanian Minister of Defense Rasa Juknevičienė, MEP from Poland and former European Commissioner for the European budget Janusz Lewandowski. Belarusian expert Hanna Shtale, who lives in Europe, will also take part in the discussion.

— As I understand it, you invited MEPs from one party — the Christian Democrats. Why is that?

— Good point, but at the moment we are not strongly focusing on multi-partisanship. We are focusing on countries. And Lithuania and Poland are important countries when talking about Ukraine today.

— What are the most important questions and topics you will try to cover on Belsat's "Agora"?

— As I already said, the main topic is the fourth anniversary of the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. But it will be interesting to talk, for example, about why Lukashenka was invited to the Peace Council. He didn't go, but it's interesting how Europeans view the issue of Lukashenka's potential exit from isolation, because European policy on this issue differs from American policy. It would also be interesting to ask why Europeans failed to agree on the finalization of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, which would also affect Belarusian companies. Does this mean there is no unity in Europe?

Well, since there will be parliamentarians from Poland and Lithuania, I will, of course, ask about the hybrid pressure from Minsk. What countermeasures could there be? And, accordingly, Hanna Shtale will be the Belarusian voice who can do a reality check. What do Belarusians think about this? Perhaps we won't focus much on Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's upcoming visit to Kyiv; we hope it will happen. But, perhaps, I will also ask about it if the conversation turns to a change in the Ukrainian approach to democratic Belarus.

"The topic of Belarus doesn't polarize, it unites"

— Is the vision of the Belarusian situation in Europe unified, or are there still different poles?

— I think, overall, today we need to fight for Europeans to have knowledge about Belarus and general attention to it — it hasn't even reached the point of poles yet. In general, the topic of Belarus doesn't divide or polarize, but, on the contrary, it unites. Here it's clear where black is and where white is, and it's clear that Lukashenka is a co-aggressor.

I've noticed, by the way: regardless of what happens on the American side — visits or the lifting of certain sanctions — Europeans increasingly understand over time that Lukashenka is a co-aggressor. From the very beginning, when missiles flew from the territory of Belarus, they might have said, "well, he didn't send troops." But now, under the influence, perhaps, of information about "Areshnik" and nuclear weapons, the understanding that Lukashenka continues to be involved in the war is only strengthening. And for those who don't have this understanding, it needs to be explained: a change in strategy regarding the lifting of sanctions or some legitimization of the regime is not a new strategy; it's something that has happened many times and has also changed nothing.

— Hanna, you say Europeans already understand that Lukashenka is a co-aggressor, but do they know that he continues to be a tyrant and torturer of his own people, that repression in Belarus does not stop, even though it's already the sixth year after the protests?

— I think both journalists, civil society, human rights defenders, and democratic forces — everyone reports that repression continues. But interest has decreased. Some European politicians have even forgotten about the protests in 2020, because more than 5 years have passed, and that's "very long ago" in political life — new elections have taken place, new politicians have arrived.

In this situation, it is difficult to maintain the continuity of knowledge and information. With the decline in interest, awareness drops. And here, again, much depends on us, on our publications, and on how we break through with this information. We need to do more. Against the backdrop of events in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, and Africa, reporting on Belarus has become even more difficult. But we must do it to dismantle the idea that "everything has calmed down" in Belarus.

"A book about people, based on my interviews"

— It's difficult to tell about Belarus, but, as far as I know, you are writing a book about Belarus in Paris. If that's true, tell us a bit about it.

— That's true. But this is the first time I'm going to talk about it, because before that I tried not to "expose myself" and not go public with it. Yes, I'm in Paris on a temporary residency and focusing on my book, which I started writing a few years ago, but due to lack of free time, I had to postpone and postpone continuing the work. And now the moment has come when it's just shameful to postpone it further. I need to look in the mirror, sit down at the table, and write. That's what I'm doing.

The book is in English, about Belarus, about the events of 2020, and what has been happening to us after 2020. And the main aspect is people. That is, it's not an analytical or a historical book. Clearly, there will be elements of reporting, but first and foremost, it's a book about people, based on my interviews. Unfortunately, there are heroes who have already passed away. There's a person who participated in the protests, went to war, and died there fighting on the side of Ukraine. Therefore, writing this book becomes even more important for me. To tell this story to the world as a testimony to the era and events of the last five years.

Watch the program "Agora. Belarusian Vector" with Hanna Liubakova as host on Belsat on February 27, as part of the evening "Studio" at 20:20.

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