Today, the second meeting of the Belarus–EU Consultative Group is taking place in Brussels. Belarus is represented by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the United Transitional Cabinet, the Coordination Council, Viktar Babaryka’s HQ, Press Club Belarus, RADA Youth Council, and Belarusian human rights defenders. The dialogue with democratic forces is led by representatives of the European Commission, the European External Action Service, and the Strategic Communications Department of the EU.
The Belarusian leader called for supporting Belarus’ European aspirations:
“I know it’s premature to speak about EU membership. But we can prepare the Association agreement that will be signed by the Belarus legitimate government in the future. I propose to include the support for European choice of Belarus in the Council Conclusions in January”.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also raised the issue of mobility for Belarusians:
“The regime is trying to deprive people of passports, legal documents, making them de facto stateless. And we need a comprehensive solution for this matter. It’s not only about visas, but also residence permits, alien passports, and simplification of legalization for Belarusians”.
The meeting will also discuss ways to achieve the release of political prisoners and support civil society. Issues of the legalization of stay for Belarusians in exile will be considered, along with mechanisms for holding the regime’s representatives to account.
