EP President: “In Belarus, where the last dictatorship in Europe exists, we take the side of citizens”

President of the European Parliament Hans Gert Pottering attended the European Humanitarian University, the Belarusian university in exile, during his official visit to Lithuania.

H. G. Pottering greeted the EHU students as the Belarusians and the Europeans, focused on basic European values and support of the European Parliament to the Belarusians, Radio Svaboda reports.

“Dignity of every person, human rights, freedom, and democracy are the basis of our European society. We do not have the right to have it only for ourselves. The duty of moral policy is that we must be concerned about human rights all over the world.

In Belarus, where the last dictatorship in Europe exists, we take the side of the citizens of Belarus. The Belarusian people have the right for free democratic society. I am sure the time will come, and I hope, I will be soon, when freedom and democracy will rule in Belarus. The European Parliament supports you. We support everyone in Belarus, who like Alyaksandr Milinkevich struggles for freedom and democracy,” the president of the European Parliament said.

The students of the Belarusian Humanitarian University asked questions to the EP president during the meeting. On the question what it is planned to do to support Belarus, Mr Pottering said, the students themselves could send their proposals to the Europarliament, and it would respond to them.

An issue on Schengen visa costs for Belarusian citizens was also discussed. The EP president said he stood for cheap Schengen visas for the youth and students from Belarus.

“Our university is supported financially by the European Commission, it means by the European Parliament, too. The European Commission and the Nordic Council of Ministers granted the greatest aid to the EHU, owing to which we have scholarships,” one of the students said after the meeting.

Head of the Lithuanian Parliament Ceslovas Jursenas participated in the meeting. He said “the Lithuanian Seimas has believed in the EHU successful work in Lithuania from the very beginning.”

“We are proud of the fact that this university is continuing its activity in Vilnius for the third year. We believe, the student will receive humanitarian education based on European values, come back to Belarus and remain friends of Lithuania,” C. Jursenas declared.