Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Education and Science, Tatiana Shchyttsova, held a working visit to Berlin, participating in events dedicated to supporting Belarusian researchers.
The professor spoke at a panel discussion titled “Academic Freedom in Belarus: State Repression and Its Consequences at Home and Abroad”, organized in collaboration with the German Association for East European Studies.
“The West often views the situation in Belarus through a single lens of “This is not a war”. Such an approach immediately reduces interest in Belarus and limits the understanding of the dramatic challenges Belarusians face”, Ms. Shchyttsova emphasized.
She also met in Berlin with Academic Network Eastern Europe representatives as part of the Science at Risk Emergency Office and with the Head of Division for Russia, Belarus, and Regional Organisations of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, Michael Nowak.
Tatiana Shchyttsova proposed several initiatives to enhance cooperation:
- Expanding the DAAD scholarship program for Belarusian students;
- Launching a scholarship program for young researchers in social and humanities disciplines;
- Allocating grants for joint Belarusian-German research projects;
- Establishing an interdisciplinary center for studying Belarus within a European context.
An agreement was reached to hold the next round of negotiations in 2025, involving representatives from German academic institutions and foundations.
