During her visit to Strasbourg, the Belarusian leader met with the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, and the new President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Theodoros Rousopoulos.
With the Secretary-General, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed the work of the Contact Group. Its activities have already been planned for two years to come and will include internships and exchanges for Belarusian youth, training for journalists and lawyers, as well as assistance in preparing draft laws for democratic Belarus.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya proposed to the PACE President to appoint a permanent rapporteur on Belarus and establish a delegation for relations with democratic Belarus. The parties agreed to continue the efforts to include representatives of democratic forces in PACE’s activities and invite Belarusian political parties to its committee sessions.
In addition, the President pledged to join the Libereco campaign and become a symbolic godparent for a political prisoner. He called on other PACE members to follow his example. Mr. Rousopoulos invited Ms. Tsikhanouskaya to visit the Greek Parliament, where a group “For a democratic Belarus” could be established. Such groups already exist in 24 other countries.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also met with the PACE rapporteur, Paul Galles. Mr. Galles and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya agreed to hold a conference on the legalization of stay for Belarusians abroad.
