Slovakia met with Minsk. Will it be easier for Belarusians to get visas?
The Slovak minister met first with Maksim Ryzhankou, then with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. We found out what they discussed.
First meeting of ministers since 2020
The heads of the Foreign Ministries of Belarus and Slovakia, Maksim Ryzhankou and Juraj Blanár, met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. This was the first conversation between the heads of the foreign policy departments of the two countries since 2020.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry reported that the parties discussed "the entire spectrum of bilateral relations" and emphasized the need to maintain open channels of communication for the speedy settlement of the war in Ukraine.
The statement of the Slovak Foreign Ministry spoke of mutual interest in a "pragmatic political dialogue" and cooperation in areas not affected by European Union sanctions. Among these, trade, culture, education, and sports were named.
Blanár emphasized that Slovakia adheres to the common EU position regarding Belarus, including on the issue of sanctions, but wants to maintain direct dialogue.
"Diplomacy must be a full-fledged instrument for maintaining communication, despite the fact that we do not agree on everything. Where the rules allow, we can look for space for practical cooperation and better understand the positions of the other side," said the Slovak minister.
In 2025, Bratislava once again sent a full-fledged ambassador to its embassy in Minsk — ex-communist Jozef Migaš, who had already headed the diplomatic mission from 2016-2020.
After Ryzhankou, Blanár spoke with Tsikhanouskaya. She asked to issue more visas to Belarusians
After the meeting with Ryzhankou, Juraj Blanár had a conversation with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, her diplomatic adviser Dzianis Kuchynski told "Nashaya Niva".
They discussed Russia's war against Ukraine, the role of Lukashenka's regime in it, and sanctions policy.
"Since Slovakia maintains a full-fledged embassy in Minsk at the ambassadorial level, despite the common EU approach regarding non-recognition of Lukashenka and limiting diplomatic contacts with the regime, we called for this presence to be used, among other things, to issue more visas to Belarusians," said Dzianis Kuchynski.
The Slovak visa center in Minsk began accepting visa applications for Slovakia and Portugal in February 2026. However, for most Belarusians, the conditions for obtaining a Slovak Schengen visa remain strict: regardless of the purpose of the trip, an invitation certified by the Slovak Foreign Police must be attached to the application. Exceptions are provided for family members of EU citizens who are entitled to a simplified procedure.
Democratic forces propose using opportunities to expand people-to-people contacts.
Half were denied, a third were granted refugee status. August results of reviews of Belarusians' applications for international protection in Poland have become known 2727
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