Denmark, Iceland appoint special envoys for Belarus

October 30, Pozirk. Denmark and Iceland have appointed special envoys for Belarus with other Nordic countries expected to follow suit, said opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja’s office.

Iceland named Hermann Ingólfsson, permanent representative to NATO, and Denmark appointed Grete Sillasen, ambassador to Lithuania.  

Keeping Belarus high on the international agenda remains a priority for the Nordic Council countries, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters in Reykjavik yesterday.

The press conference was held after Cichanoŭskaja’s meeting with top diplomats, including the foreign ministers of Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark and the Faroe Islands.

The foreign minister of Sweden, which chairs the Nordic Council, said the allies will appoint coordinators for contacts with the Belarusian pro-democracy movement.

Stenergard stressed her concern about the “grave human rights situation in Belarus” and noted that she had discussed with her counterparts support for the International Humanitarian Fund for Political Prisoners in Belarus.

Cichanoŭskaja was one of two special guests at the Nordic Council session, the other being Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The opposition leader is visiting Iceland on October 28–31.