Tikhanovskaya warned Russia against the introduction of security forces into Belarus

“In Belarus, the peaceful protest of the population against the regime, which is trying to steal votes and usurp power, continues. We demand that all countries of the world respect the sovereignty of our country. And they are extremely concerned about the statement of Mr. Putin that Russia is ready to send OMON to the republic. This would significantly violate the sovereignty of our country and would have grave consequences for relations between our countries”, - Tikhanovskaya said during a meeting with the Finnish Foreign Ministry.

Tikhanovskaya also added that the opposition is ready for dialogue and agrees to resolve the current conflict in the country peacefully. “We have always said that we are in favor of a peaceful solution to the current crisis. We are ready for negotiations, ready to discuss the current situation through mediating international organizations, if this will facilitate our dialogue”, - added Tikhanovskaya.

Last Thursday, in an interview with the Russia-1 TV channel, Putin said that at the request of the incumbent President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Russia has formed a reserve of security officials, whom it will be ready to send to Minsk at the first request, but Belarus is not yet ready to use them until the situation gets out of - under control: peaceful protesters will not start robbing the country, robbing houses and banks, setting fire to car tires, seizing administrative buildings and so on.

The rallies in Belarus continue for the fourth week after the presidential elections in the country, in which, according to official data, the incumbent President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko won with 80% of the vote. Only 10% of voters voted for the opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Demonstrations of those who disagree with the voting results are brutally suppressed by the Belarusian security forces. New arrests began last week. The opposition created a Coordination Council for the transfer of power in order to conduct a dialogue with the current government and seek new fair elections. Tikhanovskaya herself was previously forced to leave the country after she was pressured after the elections. Earlier, she said that she did not plan to participate in the new elections , but would be ready to fulfill the role of national leader until a new fair vote takes place in the country.