{"id":91574,"date":"2024-06-19T17:53:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T14:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/91574\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","slug":"council-of-europe-secretary-general-we-look-forward-to-day-when-belarus-embraces-democratic-future","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/91574\/","title":{"rendered":"Council of Europe secretary general looking forward to Belarus embracing democratic future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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June 19, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> “To close the relationship with the dictator” and to start working “with the free forces of Belarus” was “a wise and right choice to make,” said Marija Pej\u010dinovi\u0107 Buri\u0107, secretary general of the Council of Europe (CoE), after meeting with Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja today in Vilnius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s always a pleasure to meet and exchange with you while you and your colleagues share a tireless commitment to a better future for your country, for Belarus, and aspiration that your fellow Belarusians should live in freedom, opportunity and dignity, that come with human rights, democracy and the rule of law, the values that the Council of Europe stands for,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pej\u010dinovi\u0107 Buri\u0107 noted that after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, CoE “was quick to suspend” its relations with Russia and then expelled it from its ranks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Given Belarus’ active role in supporting that full-scale aggression, we also ended the cooperation with the leadership and Belarus in this horrible moment,” she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, CoE has always declared its “ongoing support for the Belarusian people who are being denied the future that they deserve,” she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Because of this, we took the decision in September 2022 to set up a Contact group that you just mentioned, through which we cooperate with Belarusian democratic forces and civil society,” Pej\u010dinovi\u0107 Buri\u0107 noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In these two years or more, meeting with you and your team, I see brave, enthusiastic and committed people who want to bring about positive change in the interest of your fellow citizens. And who else than the Council of Europe, who is meant to be a moral and ethical compass, a human rights compass for Europe, should lead the way to have such a group and openness to work with you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“So with your leadership, with your excellent team, we have excellent counterpartners and we are developing our relationship further. And we talked about it now in details but until we get to the stage where it will be more formalized, we will not go with details about this but I’m very encouraged with the exchange that we have here today,” Pej\u010dinovi\u0107 Buri\u0107 told Cichano\u016dskaja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She recalled that at a summit in Reykjav\u00edk in 2023, the leaders of 46 CoE countries adopted a declaration endorsing this approach and underlining “the importance of cooperation and commitment to the Contact group.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The group has agreed a list of activities for the period ahead from 2024-2025. And these include very concrete things,” she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Training on European human rights standards and principles for Belarusian lawyers and human rights defenders, preparing governance raising initiatives on the abolition of the death penalty, participation in part sessions of our Parliamentary Assembly, and involvement of the activities of our Congress of Local and Regional Authorities too. So activities for Belarusian journalists as well as civil society and youth organization feature prominently in that plan.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We hope to raise awareness and understanding of European standards among those who are eager to learn and to engage with the highest human rights standards in Europe. Certainly we look forward to the day when Belarus embraces a democratic future, where people can express themselves freely, where they can experience equality and justice and know that they are never to be held as political prisoners. As many today as around 1,400 are unjustly held now, including Council of Europe’s partners,” Pej\u010dinovi\u0107 Buri\u0107 added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She expressed confidence that \u201cin no long time in the future\u201d all the knowledge and experience shared by CoE “will be the one that you will be able with you and the team to use in a free and democratic Belarus.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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