Lithuania and the Council of Europe (CoE) on Wednesday agreed to cooperate in setting up the Council of Europe Information Point for Belarusian people in Vilnius.
The agreement was signed by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and CoE Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge, the human rights organisation said in a press release.
CoE Secretary General Alain Berset described it as “an important contribution to our support for Belarusian democratic forces and civil society”.
“The Information Point will not only provide information about the CoE and its work. It is a sign of hope for all those who strive for democratic values,” he said in the press release.
Landsbergis expects the information point “to play a pivotal role in raising awareness and strengthening capacity in the area of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in order to build a future democratic and prosperous Belarus”.
Belarus’ exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the move, thanking the Lithuanian government and the CoE.
“This is a significant step bringing Europe closer to the people of Belarus – and Belarusians closer to Europe,” she posted on X.
Grateful to @coe and the Lithuanian government for this important initiative to establish a #CoE Information Point for Belarusians in 🇱🇹. This is a significant step bringing Europe closer to the people of #Belarus—and Belarusians closer to Europe. https://t.co/v5Ncb8i3m4
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) November 13, 2024
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said the document was signed in light of an agreement by the CoE Contact Group on Cooperation with Belarusian Democratic Forces and Civil Society to include the establishment of a centre for Belarusian people in Vilnius in the action plan for 2024–2025.
The information point “will be providing information on the work as well as the values and principles of the CoE to the people of Belarus and supporting activities carried out in Lithuania under the action plan agreed by the Contact Group”, the organisation said in the press release.
Lithuania made a voluntary contribution to the establishment of the office and its activities to mark its presidency of the CoE Committee of Ministers, the Foreign Ministry said, without specifying the amount.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Committee of Ministers’ meeting in Strasbourg.
During the meeting, Landsbergis reviewed the achievements of the Lithuanian presidency and handed over the role to Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Xavier Bettel.
Lithuania began its presidency of the CoE Committee of Ministers on May 17, taking over from Liechtenstein. This marks Lithuania’s second presidency since joining the organisation in 1993.
The mission of the Strasbourg-based international organisation, which brings together 46 member states, is “to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law across Europe and beyond”.
Russia was expelled from the organisation following its full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.
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