The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has decided to hold regular exchanges with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other representatives of the opposition democratic forces of Belarus, following a fruitful exchange of views with Ms Tsikhanouskaya on 6 July. The Committee invited the Secretary General to create a “Contact Group” within the Council of Europe, in co-operation with representatives of the Belarusian democratic opposition and civil society. This Group will report regularly to the Committee of Ministers on its activities.
Simon Coveney, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland, said: "As part of its Chairmanship, Ireland is prioritizing institutional support for those who want to build a democratic and free Belarus, which will work with its European partners to the protection of human rights and the promotion of the rule of law.
“In June, I joined Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya who was addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council. In July and at our invitation, she addressed the Committee of Ministers for the first time. Today's decision will allow this mobilization to continue in a more systematic way.
“To use Sviatlana's words, this will make it possible to have more Council of Europe in Belarus and more Belarus in the Council of Europe”.
On 17 March 2022, the Committee of Ministers suspended all relations with the authorities of Belarus due to the active participation of this country in the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. At the same time, the Committee has decided to maintain and intensify its relations with civil society in Belarus and with its opposition in exile.
https://www.coe.int/fr/web/portal/-/council-of-europe-launches-regular-dialogue-with-belarusian-democratic-forces
https://ibb.co/6Rzv4qn Meeting Pic