Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 15 September (BelTA) – The Council of Europe expresses hope that Belarus will be able to become its member in the future, Director and Legal Adviser at the Directorate of Legal Advice and Public International Law of the Council of Europe Jorg Polakiewicz said at the expert conference on legal standards and the Council of Europe’s conventions in Minsk on 15 September, BelTA informs.

“We hope it will happen in the future,” added Jorg Polakiewicz.

He also noted: “I am confident that the cooperation with the Belarusian authorities and people will help involve Belarus more into the European community.”

Jorg Polakiewicz praised Belarus’ accession to some of the CE documents. In particular, the country takes part in the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications. The expert stressed that the document helped Belarus to join the Bologna Process.

According to Jorg Polakiewicz, the Council of Europe is represented in Belarus by its Information Point in Minsk, which organizes various conferences and other events.

Jorg Polakiewicz stressed that Belarus has a big juridical history. The Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that was developed during the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania became a paragon of lawmaking for other states.

The expert conference on legal standards and the Council of Europe’s conventions is underway at the Belarusian State University on 15-16 September. The event is organized by the Council of Europe and its Information Point in Minsk as well as the Belarusian State University with the support of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Attending the conference are experts of the Council of Europe, representatives of the Belarusian government bodies, legal and academic communities and public organizations.