Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has returned to Ireland to meet the Chernobyl host family who cared for her as a child and also to speak with Simon Coveney over the hijackin of a Ryanair flight in May. Of her meeting with Minister Coveney and other Government figures, Ms Tikhanovskaya, said: “We are going to discuss the situation in Belarus. “Of course I will return to Belarus,” Ms Tikhanovskaya told Morning Ireland on RTÉ. “The Lukashenko regime is weakening and sanctions are part of the pressure on the country but of course the impact of sanctions is a little bit prolonged. Mr Lukashenko has denounced the economic sanctions and said that Belarus would halt cooperation with the EU on stemming illegal migration in retaliation.

Source: Irish Independent July 13, 2021 15:33 UTC