08/09/2022 (Agence Europe) – On 7 September, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers invited the Secretary General to create a “Contact group” within the Council of Europe so as to continue to regularly consult with representatives from the Belarusian democratic opposition. The group will report to the Committee of Ministers. The announcement follows speeches given by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya before the Parliamentary Assembly in June and before the Committee of Ministers in July. “Today’s decision allows for that engagement to continue on a more systematic basis”, commented Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, who chairs the Committee of Ministers. This decision comes 7 months after the Council of Europe suspended relations with Belarusian authorities. Recorded on 17 March, this [suspension of relations] was punishment for the country’s active participation in Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. (VL)