The Contact Group, established by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Belarusian democratic forces and civil society, will hold its first meeting on November 7 at 15.00 in Strasbourg at the Palace of Europe. The work of the Contact Group will be opened by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, and the Leader of the Democratic Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Members of the Contact Group represent the democratic forces, communities, and civil society of Belarus, as well as relevant bodies of the Council of Europe. The Contact Group will focus on formulating, organizing, and overseeing programs and projects for the benefit of the people of Belarus.
Belarus applied to join the Council of Europe in 1993, however, the application has been suspended since 1996.
“The establishment of the Council of Europe Contact Group on Belarus is an unprecedented development that will allow the people of Belarus to benefit from the tremendous expertise and comparative knowledge of the organization in the fields of building democratic institutions and civil society development”, said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. “Our strategic aim is to have Belarus join the Council of Europe as a full member, which is the first step in this direction”.
The Contact Group was established by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe based on the decision taken by the Committee of Ministers on 7 September. Earlier in 2022, the Committee of Ministers decided to suspend all relations with the regime of Lukashenka.
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After the meeting, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will be available for comments, as well as short interviews that day. With requests for interviews and comments, please contact Dzianis Kuchynski, who is responsible for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's program during the visit, by phone / WhatsApp +370 679 22058 or press secretary of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Anna Krasulina +370 629 56 788 phone / WhatsApp.
