The First Day of the “Minsk Forum”: In Vilnius and with Tsikhanouskaya

“Belarus: 30 Years of Independence” is the theme of the 19th “Minsk Forum,” organized by the German-Belarusian Society (DBG) since 1997 and annually bringing together representatives of academia, culture, politics, the economy, and civil society from Belarus, Germany, and other European countries.

This year, however, the forum is called “Minsk” only conditionally: due to the intensification of repression in Belarus, the conferences will take place in turn in Vilnius, Warsaw, and Berlin.

All the cities have a symbolic thematic division.

At the conference in Vilnius, which took place today, 5 November, the focus was on the history, statehood, and identity of Belarus.

DW reports on the main outcomes of the first day of the “Minsk Forum.”

Regarding Belarus’s place in the world, Andrei Kazakevich, director of the Political Sphere Institute, noted that the country should not be perceived as someone’s outpost or as a bridge between East and West: “I see Belarus as a hub country, a platform where flexible communications can take place.”

But for this, according to the political scientist, Belarusians must change their understanding of Belarus’s place in the region and hold public discussions in this direction.

In general, as Kazakevich says, nothing threatens the country’s sovereignty and independence, which means it is necessary to form a future vision of Belarus. “We need to think about what to do with sovereignty, which no one needs except ourselves.

Belarus will exist for exactly as long as Belarusians themselves need it,” the political scientist summarized.

Read in full (https://www.dw.com/ru/pervyj-den-minskogo-foruma-v-vilnjuse-i-s-tihanovskoj/a-59736979)