Andrei Sannikov: Changes In The Region Will Begin With Changes In Belarus

Our country is a critical point.

Leader of the European Belarus Civil Campaign Andrei Sannikov took part in the world's largest security forum in Halifax (Canada).

What was remarkable about the forum this year? Has the topic of Belarus been raised? How will the West respond to Putin's nuclear blackmail? One of the Belarusian opposition leaders told Charter97.org about this and more.

— One of the main discussions today is the role of the United States in the global security architecture. There are serious concerns that under Trump, known for his isolationist views, US activity in this area will decrease. What did they say about this at the Halifax forum, which brought together leading experts on global security?

— The forum is held for the 16th time. Indeed, this is one of the most serious events in international politics, primarily international security policy. It takes place with the traditional participation of a representative delegation of the US Congress and high-ranking military, mainly from Western countries, but not only.

The forum is traditionally held in November. When elections are held in the United States, it takes place just after these elections take place. I was at the forum when Trump won the first time, the current forum takes place just after his second victory. There is a significant difference in the reaction to his victory in 2016 and today. Unfortunately, contrary to expectations, no one from the Trump team came. Everyone expected that someone would come, because last time there was a rather high representative from his team, Senator Jeff Sessions, who was subsequently appointed US Attorney General.

I want to note that this time Trump's victory was perceived more calmly than before. There were many fears and harsh criticism In 2016. This time there were more substantive discussions and discussions of the possibilities of the new US administration. It boiled down to quite serious conversations about the role of this administration in the US, as well as the role of the United States in the world.

Of course, the forum touches upon the problems of many regions of the world, including ours.

— What were the main topics of the forum this year?

— The main topic, of course, is Ukraine. As I managed to find out, Volodymyr Zelensky was expected to arrive. I do not know what influenced his plans, but the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk was Ukraine's representative there. He quite clearly stated the position of Ukraine, told what to expect from them and what Kyiv expects from its partners.

This year, much attention was paid to the topic of artificial intelligence. The forum was held under the slogan "New Eras". Artificial intelligence significantly changes the picture of the world and behavior in many areas of human activity. Interestingly, the emphasis was not on the serious dangers that are associated with AI, the positive aspects were discussed. For example, that artificial intelligence helps to quickly understand fake information, what is supplied as a lie for hostile purposes.

Of course, the role of China, which traditionally affects global security, was discussed. There was a rich and eventful agenda.

— Did you manage to raise the topic of Belarus?

— Of course, I met quite actively with leading politicians, analysts, and the military. I not only raised the topic of Belarus, but also said that our country is a critical point in the region. Changes for the better in the region can be expected if changes begin in Belarus. After all, the concentration camp in the center of Europe affects all processes. I also took advantage of the fact that the book "Belarus in NATO" was published, I presented it to my interlocutors and emphasized how important it is to include Belarus in the international agenda, including from the point of view of our country's accession to the EU and NATO.

I will say that this topic caused great interest. For example, the head of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said that he would carefully read and study this book. US senators are also interested in this approach.

Tsikhanouskaia was present at the forum with her retinue. She repeated the call to "vote against everyone" in the upcoming "elections", which, in my opinion, is extremely dangerous. In fact, this is support for the Lukashenka scenario. When I was asked about this action, I refused to discuss it and said that it was necessary to treat this regime harshly, and the first requirement should be the release of all political prisoners, and not analyzes of who should vote for whom on January 26. It is necessary to forget about the word "elections" under the Lukashenka regime in Belarus.

— What other interesting meetings did you have?

— There are always interesting meetings at the Halifax forum. First of all — with the founding fathers of the forum — the former Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs of Canada Peter MacKay and the president of the forum Peter Van Praagh. We always discuss with them the latest developments in Belarus and their impact on the region. As I mentioned, there was a meeting with the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. By the way, there was a senator at the forum who immediately got into all the world news — Mike Rounds, who is considered the most serious supporter and friend of Trump in the Senate. He said that you should not even think about any negotiations with criminals like Putin. He spoke quite emotionally about the sacrifices that the Ukrainian people make in this war, calling for supporting Ukraine in all ways.

In a conversation with Mike Rounds, I thanked him for his position and told him what was happening in Belarus, repeating the thesis that it was necessary to begin to liberate the region from Russian vile aggression from Belarus. He agreed and stated that this approach deserved to be taken very seriously.

I also met with Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. She was not in Washington when I had a tour with lectures at the largest universities in the United States in the spring. Then there was a meeting with her employees in the office. We managed to talk this time. She is a very interesting senator in terms of her attitude to the international agenda. There were other senators. I spoke with Melanie Joly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada. With the Minister of Defence of Canada Bill Blair, we discussed the book "Belarus in NATO", he thanked me for the opportunity to look at the developments from this side.

— On the eve of the forum, there was another round of nuclear blackmail on the part of Russia. Putin made changes to the nuclear doctrine of the Russian Federation, allegedly a new ballistic missile "Oreshnik" was struck against Dnipro. Did this affect the determination of Western politicians?

— I must say that the forum was quite tense. After all, it was not for nothing that it was held under the slogan "New Eras", which have already come, but they have yet to be realized. Yes, there were no key politicians — from the Trump team, there were no our neighbors from Poland and Lithuania, which is associated with the elections, but the mood at the forum, the statements that were addressed to the Ukrainian delegation, were in one key: "We cannot allow Russia to dominate in Europe." Ukraine's victory is the only possible solution for security in our region and around the world.

As for nuclear weapons, everyone said that this danger shows that the West needs to act even more decisively to prevent it.

— Now there is a lot of speculation on the topic of peace negotiations, which do not always coincide with the interests of Ukraine. You mentioned the position of Mike Rounds. Was there an understanding that the West should not indulge the aggressor?

— There is such an understanding. It is no secret that there are also supporters of peace negotiations, but they have fewer arguments, because Putin has already established himself as a person who cannot be trusted. Not only does he not keep his word, but he has brought down the entire security structure in Europe and the world. Therefore, negotiations with Putin are an approach to an even more apocalyptic scenario. Today, we need to think about how to become even more involved in supporting Ukraine. Such ideas prevailed.

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