{"id":209336,"date":"2026-10-28T14:05:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T11:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/209336\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T14:05:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T11:05:40","slug":"coordination-council-urges-coe-regional-body-to-boost-support-to-exiled-belarusians","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/209336\/","title":{"rendered":"Coordination Council urges CoE regional body to boost support to exiled Belarusians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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October 28, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Maintaining human connections with Europe is a matter of national survival for Belarusians living under total control, Iryna Cha\u0142opica of the opposition Coordination Council has told the Council of Europe\u2019s (CoE) Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeeping border crossings open and issuing visas for Belarusians must remain a key priority,\u201d she stressed. \u201cIf Belarusians cannot travel to Europe, they are forced to travel to Russia. This increases the risk of Belarus being absorbed by Russia, which directly harms European security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian cities did not choose isolation voluntarily, Cha\u0142opica noted, pointing to decades of cross-border cooperation with the European Union in healthcare, environmental protection, infrastructure and culture. She blamed Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka and his officials for destroying these ties, \u201ctrading regional partnerships for hybrid attacks and complicity in the military aggression against Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Belarusians were forced to relocate to the neighboring EU countries, often settling down in Polish and Lithuanian regions near Belarus, the politician said, calling for adapting European cross-border cooperation programs to support the Belarusian diaspora. Exiled Belarusians are essential for communication with Belarusians who remain inside the country, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile regimes build walls, European regions must keep building bridges to the people,\u201d Cha\u0142opica stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is a pan-European political assembly, representing over 130,000 local and regional authorities across 46 CoE member states. Its stated mission is to strengthen local democracy by monitoring the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and observing local and regional elections to ensure they meet European standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian opposition Coordination Council formed a delegation to the Congress in late August. The delegation may attend Congress sessions and committee meetings but has no voting rights. It may also attend meetings of the Congress\u2019s political groups, subject to conditions set by each group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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