The Secretary General of the Council of Europe visited the National Library, where an information point for Belarusians will open this year

On May 12, Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, visited the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. During the event held there, an information point of the Council of Europe (CoE) dedicated to the people of Belarus was symbolically inaugurated. This step marks the implementation of Lithuania’s key commitments undertaken during its 2024 chairmanship of the CoE Committee of Ministers. The information point at the National Library will begin operations this year. 

The new information point will serve as a space where Belarusians will be provided with detailed information about the Council of Europe’s activities, the democratic values it upholds, human rights, and the principles of the rule of law. It will also serve as a venue for the Council of Europe Contact Group’s program, designed to strengthen cooperation with Belarusian democratic forces and civil society. 

The opening ceremony was also attended by Lithuanian and international guests: Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys, and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. 

The establishment of a Council of Europe Information Point in Vilnius is seen as another important step in strengthening support for Belarusian civil society and democratic aspirations in the region. It is hoped that this center will become a key platform for dialogue, information dissemination, and cooperation, fostering ties between European international organizations and the Belarusian community. 

For more information about the planned information point: https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/information-point-for-belarusian-people-vilnius-lithuania-