Kyiv Plans to Expand Powers of Envoy Responsible for Contacts With Belarusian Democratic Forces

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has announced plans to expand the powers of the Foreign Ministry’s special envoy responsible for cooperation with Belarusian democratic forces, Interfax-Ukraine reported. He made the statement during a question-and-answer session with the government in the Verkhovna Rada.

“We plan to expand the mandate and powers of the appointed special envoy responsible for Belarus-related issues and contacts with democratic forces. We are currently discussing this. We have taken the first step toward institutionalization and a more systematic approach,” he said.

The foreign minister added that the ministry would consult with members of parliament on which additional areas should be covered within the envoy’s mandate and promised to do so in the near future.

In mid-May, the position of special envoy of the Foreign Ministry for democratic transformations, cooperation with democratic forces and national movements in unfriendly countries was assigned to Yaroslav Chornohor, director of the Russian and Belarusian Studies Program at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” and a candidate of historical sciences.