Belarus opposition leader in Slovenia before EU presidency

The exiled Belarusian opposition leader has called for sustained international focus on the struggle for democracy in her country against long-ruling authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- The exiled Belarusian opposition leader on Monday called for sustained international focus on the struggle for democracy in her country against long-ruling authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke during her visit to Slovenia, a small Alpine nation that is slated to take over the rotating presidency of the European Union in July. “It is extremely important to keep Belarus high in agenda on international level with our difficult fight for democratic changes,” Tsikhanouskaya said after a meeting with Slovenia's foreign minister, Anze Logar. Tsikhanouskaya ran against Lukhashenko in last year's presidential election in Belarus that triggered the largest wave of protests in the ex-Soviet nation’s history.