Dzianis Kuchynski, an advisor to the Belarusian opposition leader who has moved to Warsaw, claimed on the Lrytas program „Iššifruoti esmę su Dovydu Pancerovu“ (Deciphering the Essence with Dovydas Pancerovas) that Tsikhanouskaya had written a letter to the prime minister, but it had been ignored.
According to him, the letter to the head of government was one of the steps taken to find a compromise regarding Tsikhanouskaya's level of protection.
„It is clear that the decision to have Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spend more time in Poland was primarily based on security and safety considerations,“ he said.
According to Kuchynski, they actively sought compromises that would satisfy both sides. For example, it was suggested that the Security Service (VAT) would not accompany Tsikhanouskaya during her visits abroad, and that the number of officers assigned to protect her in Lithuania would be reduced.
„We were looking for that compromise, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya wrote a letter to the prime minister, but we did not receive a response,“ he said.
„No. We did not receive a response. We tried to meet, but somehow it didn't work out,“ he repeated when asked if he had received a response from the prime minister or her team.
Lrytas inquired about Tsikhanouskaya's letter with representatives of Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė.
„The letter was received, and it discussed the level of protection. Communication with Tsikhanouskaya's team was maintained by both the Executive Protection Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For its part, the government relied on the recommendations of the services, which, after assessing the level of threat, indicated what protection was necessary for Tsikhanouskaya,“ Prime Minister's Advisor Ignas Algirdas Dobrovolskas wrote in a comment to the Lrytas portal.
„Decisions were made with this in mind,“ he added.
However, the prime minister's representative did not answer the question of why the prime minister did not respond to the letter.
When asked when Ruginienė last met with Tsikhanouskaya, Dobrovolskas said that such a meeting took place last year.
We want to remind you that in December last year, it became clear that the police would take over Tsikhanouskaya's security in Lithuania from the Security Service (VAT).
A little later, several members of Tsikhanouskaya's team informed the AFP news agency of her intention to move from Lithuania to Poland.
Tsikhanouskaya started working in Warsaw this week. However, the Vilnius office will continue to operate in Lithuania.