Фото: Офис Тихановский
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, and presented him with the Good Neighbourliness Cross.
“I was glad to meet the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, a true friend of Belarus and a defender of human rights.
We discussed our cooperation within the framework of the Contact Group and the upcoming information point in Vilnius.
It is a great honour for me to award him the Good Neighbourliness Cross, our highest distinction for foreigners,” she said.
The Good Neighbourliness Cross is an award of the United Transitional Cabinet and is presented by personal decision of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to foreign or Belarusian citizens who have made a special contribution to building relations between Belarus and other countries, as well as to democratic transformation in Belarus. The award has previously been bestowed on former US Special Envoy for Belarus Julie Fisher and President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.
Updated
The Office of Tsikhanouskaya provided additional details of the meeting with Alain Berset. Tsikhanouskaya’s advisers Alyaksandr Shlyk, Dzianis Kuchynski, Franak Viačorka, as well as the Speaker of the Coordination Council Artsiom Brukhan, also took part.
It was noted that within the framework of the Contact Group, the Council of Europe will host Belarusians for internships, continue its programme for Belarusian lawyers, and work on the implementation of the Luxembourg Decisions to improve the situation of Belarusians in exile. A plan for Belarus’s integration into the Council of Europe was also discussed.
During the visit, Tsikhanouskaya is also scheduled to address the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, hold a briefing for ambassadors, and meet with the Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.