The Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Mathieu Mori, held a meeting in Vilnius with the democratic forces of Belarus. Representatives of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the United Transitional Cabinet, and civil society initiatives participated in the meeting.
On behalf of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, its Director Dzianis Kuchynski thanked Mathieu Mori for his consistent support and cooperation with the democratic forces of Belarus.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Parliamentary Cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka:
- spoke about legal work on the draft Constitution and the Law on Local Self-Government;
- proposed expanding the International Parliamentary Alliance “For a Democratic Belarus” to the local level;
- proposed a conference with the participation of European mayors;
- called for developing a comprehensive package of laws on local self-government.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Science and Education, Pavel Tereshkovich:
- spoke about the scale of political persecution in Belarus’ education sector;
- drew attention to bureaucratic obstacles that currently limit support for repressed teachers and students.
The Representative of the United Transitional Cabinet for Social Policy, Volha Zazulinskaya:
- emphasized that repression inside Belarus is not easing but increasingly relies on criminal prosecution;
- raised issues concerning Belarusians in Georgia and Ukraine, as well as the problem of invalidated passports of deported political prisoners;
- emphasized the need for long-term support programs for vulnerable groups, especially rehabilitation for former volunteer fighters.
The Deputy Representative on Social Policy, Yuliya Mitskevich:
- agreed to integrate gender equality as a cross-cutting component in local governance training programs;
- discussed internships for young people to gain practical experience with European standards of non-discrimination and public administration. These internships will be organized in cooperation with the Council of Europe and Youth Policy Advisor Marharyta Vorykhava.
The Coordinator of Volnyja, Veranika Stankevich:
- presented an analysis of the challenges former political prisoners face when adapting in the EU;
- noted that existing support is often fragmented and does not account for the specifics of traumatic experiences;
- proposed moving toward a systemic level of support through municipal programs, strengthening mentorship and coordination among organizations.
Following the meeting, the democratic forces of Belarus proposed signing a memorandum of cooperation and discussed further joint work on a package of draft laws — a delegation of Personnel Reserve is already working within the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
They also proposed developing “Vilnius Solutions” modeled on the Luxembourg Solutions — practical recommendations for mayors and municipalities on supporting Belarusians.
Additionally, participants discussed potential assistance from the Congress in supporting the reintegration of former political prisoners into society after their release.
