Babiš: What happened to us in 1968 must not happen in Belarus

The European Union must encourage Belarusians, so that they do not fear to realise a velvet revolution of the type that happened [in Czechoslovakia] in 1989, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš tweeted on Sunday. He wrote that the Visegrad Four countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia) as well as the Baltic states have to “play their role”. The Czech PM will reveal further details about what he means by this in a video this evening that will be shared on social media.

Mr. Babiš also wrote on Twitter that a repeat of what happened in Czechoslovakia in 1968, when Warsaw Pact troops quelled the Prague Spring, must not take place in Belarus, possibly reacting to speculation that Russia may intervene in support of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is the target of ongoing protests in the country.

The Czech Prime Minister told the Czech News Agency that his government will not be looking into the situation in Belarus at its regular Monday meeting. This subject, he said, is being discussed on the European level.