On 19-20 June Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was in Strasbourg at the invitation of the PACE President, where she took part in the PACE hearings and addressed the PACE Political Committee, PACE Women group, and Council of Europe Ambassadors. The Belarusian leader met with national delegations, party groups, and the Council of Europe leadership.
The meetings were also attended by Valery Kavaleuski, the United Transitional Cabinet Representative for Foreign Affairs, Franak Viacorka, Senior Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Alexander Shlyk, Adviser on Multilateral Diplomacy, Anatoli Liabedzka, Adviser for Interparliamentary Cooperation, and Ivan Krautsou of the “Razam” party.
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The following was done during the visit:
– PACE adopted a resolution to support Belarusians abroad. The resolution makes recommendations on visa facilitation, residence permits, psychological assistance programs, and access to the labor market and education.
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Council of Europe Secretary General’s Special Representative on Migration and Refugees agreed to forward the recommendations outlined in the resolution to other international organizations and national governments.
– PACE passed a resolution to prevent Belarusian athletes who supported the war and Lukashenka from participating in international competitions.
– The Contact Group between the Council of Europe and democratic Belarus held a regular meeting. The group approved the projects and the schedule for the coming months. The projects, among others, include the creation of a Belarusian version of the Council of Europe website and training meetings between the Council of Europe communication specialists and representatives of Belarusian media and NGOs.
– At a meeting with 40 national delegations of the Council of Europe, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya proposed a strategy for Belarus, which should, on the one hand, isolate the regime, and on the other hand, help Belarusians and provide a positive alternative.
– The Free Choir (Volny Chor) performed at the PACE plenary session to draw attention to the situation in Belarus and the issue of political prisoners. The concert was possible thanks to the cooperation with the town hall of Strasbourg and PACE members from Germany, Luxembourg, and other countries. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called for supporting cultural initiatives in Belarus and abroad.
– Maksim Znak's book “Zekameron” was presented in Strasbourg. The presentation was attended by the Belarusian diaspora and literary critics. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya urged the guests to support Belarusian political prisoners and their families.
