Belarus – Tichanovskaya wants to stop Lukashenko’s access to IMF funds

In the fight against Governor Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus, opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya called on the International Monetary Fund to stop financial aid to the power apparatus in Minsk. In a letter to the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, Tichanovskaya demanded that Lukashenko’s “system” be denied access to funds.

Lukashenko wants to demand about 1 billion US dollars from the International Monetary Fund

Accordingly, the country, which has been sanctioned by the European Union and the USA, wants to claim a Special Drawing Right (SDR) from the International Monetary Fund worth 1 billion US dollars (about 860 million euros). The money embargo must be enforced until new free presidential elections are held. “This is the position of all democratic forces in Belarus,” Tichanovskaya said on Saturday. IMF money is not for the organ of power, but for the people. Tichanovskaya warned that the money would be used for further repression against opponents, and thus could help stabilize the regime.

The politician, who lives in exile in the European Union, thanked US Senator Bob Menendez for his support. The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden on Friday asking that he call for the funds to be frozen so that the International Monetary Fund does not recognize Lukashenko’s leadership as legitimate.

Menendez argued that the European Union and the United States exerted joint pressure on the apparatus of power in Belarus with the imposition of sanctions. She added that the release of IMF funds would interfere with these efforts. So far, Belarus has been able to rely mainly on financial aid from Russia. President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized his support for Lukashenko, who has been criticized as the “last dictator in Europe”. (apa, dpa)