Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (Green) met on Saturday with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
She has been in neighbouring Lithuania since running as a candidate in a disputed presidential election, while her husband remains imprisoned in Belarus.
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"Tsikhanouskaya stressed heavily that their main goal at the moment is to open negotiating contacts and a dialogue with President [Alexander] Lukashenka and his administration and to carry on a calm discussion about what changes are needed in Belarus," Haavisto said.
So far Lukashenka has not expressed any readiness for discussions with the opposition, who are demanding a free and fair presidential election.
OSCE role?
Following an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Berlin on Friday, Haavisto suggested that the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) could play a role in opening a dialogue between the EU and the Lukashenka regime, seeking a high-level meeting in Minsk.
Belarus is a member of the 57-nation group, founded in Helsinki in 1975.
The main reason for Haavisto's visit to Lithuania was to hold talks with his opposite number, Linas Linkevičius.
On Sunday, Haavisto travels on to Tallinn, Estonia. He is to meet with Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu to discuss Belarus, the Covid-19 pandemic and other current issues.