Belarusian opposition's Coordination Council announces opening of 'people's embassies' abroad
MINSK. Dec 11 (Interfax) - The Belarusian opposition's Coordination Council has declared the opening of "people's embassies" in foreign countries starting on December 11.
"It's highly symbolic that today, on the international Human Rights Day, democratic Belarus is opening its missions all over the world. Protection of rights of Belarusian citizens and assistance to fellow citizens who have had to leave Belarus should lay a good foundation for such organizations," former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said at a Zoom conference on Thursday.
Coordination Council Presidium member Pavel Latushko said at the conference that "people's embassies" would open in 20 countries, including Russia, Lithuania, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and Brazil.
"I have no doubt that the opening of people's embassies is only the first step towards building brand new relations between democratic Belarus, on the one hand, and its neighbors and other foreign partners, on the other hand," Latushko said.
"People's embassies" do not have the full range of duties performed by professional diplomatic missions, Latushko said. "These are posts to receive information from Belarusian citizens [staying abroad] who need any kind of assistance and to spread information about the actual state of affairs in our country. In particular, the people's embassies will be providing communication, arranging meetings with members of the diplomatic corps, interacting with other organizations of the Belarusian community, and holding economic, cultural, and informational events," he said.
The opening of alternative Belarusian missions abroad was initiated by delegates of the World Belarus Congress, Latushko said. The congress was held on October 31 - November 1, 2020, and gathered about 150,000 Belarusian citizens and people with origins in Belarus residing in over 50 countries, he said.
