{"id":177352,"date":"2026-02-26T22:23:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T19:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/177352\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"council-of-europe-committed-to-cooperation-with-belarus-democratic-forces","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/177352\/","title":{"rendered":"Council of Europe committed to cooperation with Belarus\u2019 democratic forces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

February 26, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>The secretary general of the Council of Europe (CE), Alain Berset, in a meeting in Strasbourg with \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja, leader of Belarus\u2019 pro-democracy forces, reaffirmed the CE\u2019s commitment to a democratic Belarus through the work of its Contact Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Contact Group\u2019s vision is as simple as it is ambitious. When democratic change happens, democratic forces and civil society must be prepared and capable to the greatest extent possible to implement Council of Europe standards of democracy, rule of law and human rights, and anchor Belarus in the European family of democracies,\u201d the secretary general said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024-25, a number of projects were implemented under the Contact Group, and a tailored placement program for Belarusian professionals was developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CE\u2019s activities have contributed to the drafting by the democratic forces of a memorandum on the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus. A strategic dialogue was initiated between young Belarusians and decision-makers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, PACE put together \u201cThe Luxembourg Solutions\u201d \u2013 a compilation of recommendations and good practices of national parliaments for Belarusians in exile to ease their stay, support their access to education and preserve their cultural identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Congress has been providing expertise in local self-government reform and preparing \u2018leaders for change\u2019 in view of a future democratic transition and has also worked on the local response to transnational repression against Belarusians in exile. Projects to support independent media in exile have been carried out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new list of activities 2026-27 to be implemented under the Contact Group is based on the jointly agreed priorities in the areas of promoting the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights, abolition of the death penalty, anti-discrimination, gender equality and countering violence against women, parliamentary cooperation, local democracy, support to civil society, cultural rights, youth participation and Belarusian journalists in exile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CE set up the Contact Group in late 2022, following the suspension of all cooperation with the Belarusian authorities in March 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"