Viachorka recounted the chronology of an attempt to organize non-public negotiations with Minsk to de-escalate the situation

Esteemed Andrei Bushyla mentioned in an interview with TOK Nastassia Rouda about the Vienna negotiations of 2020-2021, when the situation could have gone a completely different way. His words show how it looked from that side. I will tell you how it looked from our side.

That story remained unknown to the wider public: how we, together with Austria, international mediators, and the Humanitarian Dialogue organization, tried to organize peaceful negotiations with representatives of the regime.

Here is a brief chronology.

September 21, 2020. Brussels.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya meets for the first time with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg during a meeting with the heads of foreign ministries of EU countries. Even then, she proposed considering international mediation as a path to new elections.

October 8, 2020. Vienna Airport.

On her way back from the GLOBSEC conference in Bratislava, Sviatlana holds a separate meeting with Schallenberg directly at Vienna Airport.

The conversation lasts about half an hour. We discuss whether Austria could become a platform for negotiations on new elections. Schallenberg offers Austria's help in mediation.

But even then, the Austrian minister publicly noted that the Belarusian authorities reject proposals for international mediation.

November 5-6, 2020. First closed roundtable in Vienna.

Sviatlana meets with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The next day, a closed roundtable organized by the ICEUR center takes place in Vienna. Sviatlana and her team, Valery and Veronika Tsepkalo, representatives of Pavel Latushka's team, Austrian diplomats, and experts participate.

Павялічыць

Among the organizers and participants are former Vice-Chancellor Erhard Busek and Ambassador Martin Sajdik, who previously represented the OSCE in the Donbas negotiations.

We discuss possible formats of negotiations, international guarantees, and the participation of Russia and the European Union.

Following the meeting, the organizers propose creating a permanent dialogue mechanism. But representatives of the regime are not yet present at this roundtable.

Павялічыць

March 2021. Contacts with Martin Sajdik.

Our representative for international affairs Valery Kavaleuski meets with Sajdik in Vienna. Sajdik cooperates with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) — an international organization with extensive experience in confidential mediation in conflicts.

We explore the possibility of using this channel to organize contacts with Lukashenka's representatives.

The idea is simple: if the regime does not want public negotiations, one can start with closed expert consultations, without cameras or loud statements.

April 20-24, 2021. Humanitarian Dialogue and Minsk.

Sajdik informs us that HD is already working on the Belarusian issue. He plans a three-day visit to Minsk with a colleague (name not disclosed).

In parallel, we try to organize a meeting between Sajdik and NN with Sviatlana in Vienna to discuss further steps. We prepare the meeting, but due to schedule changes, it does not take place.

April 26-28, 2021. Austria is ready to mediate.

Sviatlana is in Vienna again. Meetings with President Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Kurz, and Minister Schallenberg. We hand over a prepared peace settlement plan to our Austrian partners.

It envisages two stages.

First — preliminary consultations without preconditions, including with representatives appointed by Lukashenka.

Second — full-fledged political negotiations, which require the release of political prisoners, an end to repression, and security guarantees for participants.

The goal is to exit the crisis. International guarantees, a transitional period, and possible conditions for a peaceful transfer of power are also discussed.

Schallenberg confirms Austria's readiness to be a mediator but notes that he does not see Lukashenka's willingness to participate in a dialogue.

May - July 2021. Preparing an international conference.

Sviatlana proposes to Kurz to convene an international conference to find a peaceful solution to the Belarusian crisis. Kurz supports the initiative.

We hold consultations with the Austrian government, propose involving Switzerland and Finland, and discuss the role of the OSCE, the European Union, and Russia.

Switzerland replies that for its participation as a co-organizer, the presence of all political parties is necessary.

This becomes the main problem: we are ready for negotiations, international mediators are ready to help, but there is no consent from the regime.

October 2021. Another attempt.

We again turn to ICEUR and Martin Sajdik, proposing to organize separate expert discussions in Vienna on negotiations between the authorities and democratic forces.

In parallel, the Austrian government is preparing a high-level conference.

The draft program envisages the participation of representatives of the Belarusian regime. Austria sends appropriate invitations.

It is assumed that part of the discussions will take place in a closed format, where people can express themselves more freely.

November 2021. Reaction from Minsk and Moscow.

The Austrian side invites, among others, Uladzimir Makei and Sergey Lavrov to the conference.

But on November 10, Makei publicly calls the Vienna initiative "senseless" and an "unfriendly step" towards Belarus.

He announces that no Belarusian official will come.

Lavrov also criticizes the proposed dialogue format. According to Austrian MP Eva Ernst-Dziedzič, Belarusian authorities initially showed interest, but after Russia's negative reaction, decided not to participate.

November 22, 2021. Vienna Conference.

Despite Minsk's refusal, the conference takes place.

It is attended by Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg, Foreign Minister Michael Linhart, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, more than 10 ministers of European countries, representatives of the USA, OSCE, and Belarusian democratic forces.

Political prisoners, peaceful crisis settlement, international guarantees, and the future of Belarus are discussed.

But Lukashenka's representatives are absent. Direct negotiations never begin.

***

We sought mediators, developed concrete proposals, discussed guarantees, prepared closed meetings, and convinced European governments.

We were ready to talk even with Lukashenka's representatives if it could stop the violence and lead to new elections.

We did not set preconditions for starting consultations. But we always insisted that a real political settlement is impossible without the release of political prisoners and an end to repression.

In 2020-2021, there was a real chance to try and organize a peaceful political process. Austria was ready to help. International mediators were looking for ways.

Lukashenka wanted so badly to cling to power that he feared any attempts to talk to Belarusians. As a result, Belarus, by Lukashenka's hand, was dragged into war, and Belarusians paid for it with repression, sovereignty, and isolation.

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