Tuesday 21 June 2022 @ 9:30 - 18:30 CET

On Tuesday 21 June 2022, ECR Foreign Affairs Coordinator Anna Fotyga will host a conference in cooperation with the Kalinowski Forum. The discussion will focus on the future of a democratic Belarus as part of the European family and in the context of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. The event will open with special remarks from Žygimantas Pavilionis, Chairperson of the Kalinovski Forum; Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland; Ms Ingrida Šimonytė, Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania; Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Leader of democratic Belarus; and Olivér Várhelyi, EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement. The Conference will cover topics such as ‘The battle for freedom, Lukashenko’s regime in the context of the war against Ukraine’, ‘The people of freedom’. Repressions and the situation of political prisoners’, ‘Sanctions. Deterring Lukashenko’s internal violence and alignment with the Russian aggressor’ and ‘Truth vs. lies. The situation of independent media vs regime propaganda’.

​Programme

Registration @ 9:00 - 9:30

Opening remarks @ 9:30

• Anna Fotyga MEP - Host of the Kalinovski Forum Brussels 2022
• Žygimantas Pavilionis - Chairperson of the Kalinovski Forum (online)

Special remarks @ 9:45

• H.E. Mr Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland (video remarks)
• H.E. Ms Ingrida Šimonytė, Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania (video remarks)
• Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Leader of democratic Belarus (video remarks)
• Olivér Várhelyi , EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement (video remarks)

Panel 1: The battle for freedom. Lukashenko’s regime in the context of war against Ukraine @ 10:15

• Moderator: Anna Fotyga MEP
• Ambassador Pawel Herczynski, Managing Director Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response, European Union’s External Action Service
• Ambassador Baiba Braže, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO
• Ambassador Dirk Schuebel Ambassador of the European Union to Belarus
• Ambassador Mark Gitenstein, U.S. Representative to the European Union (tbc)
• Pavel Latushka, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management (online)
• Jamie Shea, Professor of Strategy and Security, University of Exeter, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO
• Brian Whitmore, Atlantic Council
• Batu Kutelia, Atlantic Council of Georgia, McCain Institute for International Leadership
• A message from Ukraine (pre-recorded)
• Oleksii Goncharenko, MP, Head Parliamentary Group “For democratic Belarus” (online)
• Radoslaw Sikorski MEP
• Urmas Paet MEP

Panel 2: The people of freedom. Repressions and situation of political prisoners @ 11:30

• Moderator: Rasa Jukneviciene MEP
• The case of Katsyaryna Andreyeva, Darya Chulstova (a short movie)
• Pavel Sapelko, Human Rights Center “Viasna” (online)
• Aleh Gulak, the Chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (online)
• David J. Kramer, Managing Director for Global Policy, George W. Bush Institute (online)
• Ales Zarembiuk, Head of the Belarusian House in Warsaw
• Vytis Jurkonis, Freedom House (online)
• Samuel Cogolati, Vice-chair Foreign Affairs Committee, the Belgian Federal Parliament
• Frédéric Petit, MP, the French National Assembly (online)
• Khatia Dekanoidze, MP, Georgian-Belarusian Friendship Group
• Volha Pavuk, Co-founder of the European Choice Initiative (online)
• Miriam Lexmann, MEP
• Andrzej Halicki MEP

Opening of the exhibition “Belarus Awakening”, Anastazja Kozhapenka, Belarusian House in Warsaw @ 14:45

Panel 3: Sanctions. Deterring Lukashenko’s internal violence and alignment with the Russian aggressor @ 15:00

• Moderators: Žygimantas Pavilionis, Member of the Lithuanian Parliament, Anna Fotyga MEP
• Maciej Popowski, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations
• Ruben Harutunian, Deputy chief of mission (DCM) at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, (pre-recorded)
• Oleksii Makeiev, Ambassador, Special Envoy for Sanctions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (online)
• Maciej Stadejek, Representative of Poland to the Political and Security Committee of the EU; Deputy Head of the Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU
• Anatol Liabedzka, Signatory of Belarussian independence, Representative of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Constitutional Reform and Parliamentary Cooperation
• Daniel Fried, Special Assistant and NSC Senior Director for Presidents Clinton and Bush, Ambassador to Poland, and Assistant Secretary of State for Europe (2005-09), (online)
• Vladzimir Astapenka, Deputy Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management
• Bill Browder, anticorruption activist, the founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management (video remark)
• Stephen Nix, Eurasia Director, International Republican Institute (online)
• Natalia Kaliada, The International Strategic Action - Network for Security
• Petras Auštrevičius MEP
• Andrius Kubilius MEP
• Thijs Reuten MEP

Panel 4: Truth vs. lies. Situation of independent media vs regime propaganda @ 16:30

• Moderator: Kosma Złotowski MEP
• Jerzy Pomianowski, Executive Director Endowment for Democracy
• Aleh Aheyeu, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Deputy Director (online)
• Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy, Director of Belsat TV
• Jamie Fly, President of Radio Free Europe (online)
• Natallia Radzina, Editor-in-chief ,Charter97
• Krzysztof Skowronski, Radio Wnet
• Martyna Bildziukiewicz, Head of East Stratcom Task Force
• Bernard Guetta MEP
• Beata Mazurek MEP