"Nordic funding for the European Humanities University (EHU) is also support for democratic development in Belarus. The Nordic Council considers the task of supporting democratic development in our adjacent areas to be of tremendous importance. We hope that, in time, Belarus will become part of the European democratic family and join the European Convention on Human Rights", says Helgi Hjörvar, President of the Nordic Council.

Hjörvar will visit the Belarusian exile university EHU with the Nordic ministers for co-operation and a delegation from the Nordic Council on Thursday 18 February. EHU is the only Belarusian university committed to academic freedom.

On Wednesday 17 February MPs from the Nordic Council and the Baltic Assembly will meet at a summit in the Lithuanian city of Vilnius.

"Work with the development of democracy in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania after the fall of the wall has turned out to be some of the most tangible, relevant and meaningful work the Nordic Council has done. This work has resulted in good contacts at both governmental and parliamentary levels", said Helgi Hjörvar, President of the Nordic Council.

The President of the Nordic Council will also meet with the Nordic ministers for co-operation during his stay in the Lithuanian capital. The ministers for co-operation are expected to discuss the future of financial support for EHU.

In March, MPs from the Nordic Council and the Baltic Assembly will meet members of the Belarusian opposition and government parties in Minsk. This is a unique platform for dialogue which the Nordic Council and the Baltic states have built up during recent years.

More about the Nordic Council's international co-operation
EHU Trust Fund
Video on EHU

Silje Bergum Kinsten, Communication Adviser, +45 21 71 71 56