State Duma approves Boris Gryzlov's candidacy for the post of RF Ambassador to Belarus | News from Germany about Russia

The State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots approved Boris Gryzlov’s candidacy for the post of Russian Ambassador to Belarus. This was announced by the first deputy head of the committee, Konstantin Zatulin. His words are quoted on Wednesday, October 22, by Russian news agencies.

“Today at the meeting of the committee Boris Vyacheslavovich Gryzlov was presented as a candidate for the post of plenipotentiary ambassador to the Republic of Belarus,” Zatulin confirmed. He added that the regulatory procedure for approving the recall of the current ambassador of the Russian Federation to Belarus Yevgeny Lukyanov, who held this post since March 25, has passed.

Plenipotentiary representative of the Russian Federation in the contact group for Ukraine

Gryzlov is the plenipotentiary representative of Russia in the contact group on resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine, chairman of the supreme council of the United Russia party, ex-speaker of the State Duma, chairman of the board of directors of the Tactical Missiles Corporation.

Putin still has to sign a decree

Zatulin clarified that the committee had given preliminary consent. In order for Boris Gryzlov to take up his duties, the corresponding decree must be signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, the consent of the Belarusian side should be requested, added the first deputy head of the committee.

Before Lukyanov, Dmitry Mezentsev held the post of head of the Russian diplomatic mission. Russian President Vladimir Putin relieved him of his duties as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Belarus on March 19.

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Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
Leader of Democratic Belarus
Exactly a year ago, a housewife from Gomel, a former English teacher Svetlana Tikhanovskaya announced her intention to participate in the presidential campaign in Belarus. On May 15, 2020, she submitted instead of and, as she herself repeatedly emphasized, for the sake of her husband, documents for registration with the CEC – and by coincidence she became the leader of the democratic forces. How she spent a year in this role – in the DW photo gallery.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
Collection of signatures for Tikhanovskaya
Initially, her husband, the author of the YouTube channel “Country for Life” Sergei Tikhanovsky, planned to run for the presidency of Belarus. But he was denied registration, and at the end of May he was detained and is still in jail. Not least because of the popularity of her husband and solidarity with him throughout Belarus, there were huge queues at pickets to collect signatures for Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
Single candidate from the opposition
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya announced anonymous threats against her and her children with a demand to stop participating in the election race, but decided not to give up. On July 14, the CEC issued her a certificate. In fact, she became the single opposition candidate. Lukashenka’s other strong rivals, Viktor Babariko and Valery Tsepkalo, were denied registration. In total, five candidates were allowed to participate in the elections.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
Consolidation of headquarters
Viktor Babariko was detained, Valery Tsepkalo had to go abroad because of the persecution. On July 16, the coordinator of Babariko’s headquarters, Maria Kolesnikova, Valery Tsepkalo’s wife Veronika and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya announced a joint effort. The women’s trio has become the face of the campaign for fair elections in Belarus. Its members urged people to go to vote, become observers and fight fraud.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
Three graces as a symbol of peaceful change
The campaign rallies of the joint headquarters gathered thousands of Belarusians throughout the country. On July 30, according to various estimates, up to 70 thousand people attended the official picket of Tikhanovskaya in the Minsk Peoples’ Friendship Park. Her campaign promises were to hold re-elections with the participation of all alternative candidates, a referendum on the return of the 1994 constitution, and the release of political prisoners.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
Unrecognized election results
On August 10, the CEC announced Lukashenka’s victory in the presidential elections – for the sixth time. Tikhanovskaya, according to official data, won 10.1% of the vote, while Lukashenka – 80.1%. According to the opposition and many citizens of Belarus, the voting results were massively falsified. They were not recognized in the West.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
Post-election protests
Tikhanovskaya’s supporters and analysts believe that in fact she, at least, made it to the second round and even, perhaps, won the election in the first round. Protests against falsification of voting results, which erupted in Belarus immediately after the elections, do not stop to this day, although by the spring they had already lost their popularity due to repressions by the Belarusian authorities.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
Forced emigration
Under pressure from the authorities, on the night of August 11, Tihanovskaya was forced to leave for Lithuania. “God forbid to be faced with such a choice that I faced,” she said in a video message. Now Svetlana lives in Vilnius – under the protection of the Lithuanian state. The Belarusian authorities are seeking her extradition and accused of terrorism. Her team emphasizes that Tikhanovskaya supports peaceful methods.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
For dialogue with international mediation
The way out of the political crisis in Belarus is in the dialogue between the authorities and the opposition and the holding of new elections, Tikhanovskaya said. Now her team is creating the prerequisites for this. In March, a vote for internationally mediated negotiations was launched on the Golos platform. The initiative was supported by over 770 thousand people. To this end, the work of the Opposition Coordination Council is also supported.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
At a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
The need for dialogue in Belarus is one of the main topics at international conferences and meetings of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya with the heads of Western states and governments. Her team is also establishing international contacts to provide humanitarian aid to Belarusians who suffered from repression and economic support to the country after the new elections – a kind of “Marshall plan for Belarus”.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
Attention to torture in Belarus
Sanctions against high-ranking officials guilty of violence against civilians, as well as assistance from the international community in documenting torture in Belarus and prosecuting security officials are other key areas in the work of Tikhanovskaya’s headquarters. Lawsuits against the Belarusian security forces are being considered in Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic. A corresponding claim was filed with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
Sakharov Prize “For Freedom of Thought”
In December 2020, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was awarded the Sakharov Prize “For Freedom of Thought”. In addition to her, the European Parliament awarded this award to Svetlana Aleksievich, Maria Kolesnikova, Veronica Tsepkalo, Ales Bialiatski, Stepan Putilo and other activists of the united Belarusian opposition. “Freedom is a victory over fear,” Tikhanovskaya said at the award ceremony in Brussels.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
At a meeting with the diaspora in Rome
Meetings with the diaspora, support for the People’s Embassies, which inform the world community about the situation in Belarus, contacts with those who continue to protest in Belarus – Tikhanovskaya calls herself a leader elected by the Belarusian people. Bloomberg has included her in the top 50 most influential people of 2020. And no matter how people treat it, the history of modern Belarus is already unthinkable without it.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: a year of struggle for a new Belarus
New image of a leader
During this difficult, eventful year, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has significantly changed in appearance and as a politician. And it’s not just a new hairstyle. She began to dress more stylishly, behave more confidently, sound more competent, without losing her naturalness and warmth. She looks on equal terms among world leaders, and ordinary Belarusians perceive her as “their own” – this is her uniqueness.
Author: Yanina Moroz