Friends of Belarus group formed in the Bundestag

March 31, BPN. German MPs formed the Friends of Belarus parliamentary group on March 30, said Franak Viačorka, an adviser to Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.

During the founding meeting, 21 deputies of major parliamentary parties signed up for the group or expressed interest in its work: seven Social Democrats, six Greens, four Christian Democrats, and four Free Democrats. The Left and the right-wing Alternative for Germany don’t have any representation.

“We welcome the creation of the group and thank German MPs for their firm position on Belarus. Germany stands for a free and independent Belarus. This is just the beginning of long-term cooperation,” Viačorka said.

There are plans to hold a “big conference” of members of all these parliamentary groups in different countries in Berlin in September, he said.

The Friends of Belarus groups were formed in 17 parliaments, including in Canada, Georgia, Latvia, Moldova, the UK, Ukraine, and the USA.

On March 28, such group was officially established in the French Parliament. At the same time, the activities of the group that communicated with the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Belarusian National Assembly, were halted, Viačorka said. “They will interact only with the democratic forces,” he added.