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Estonian foreign minister calls on EU to facilitate visa regime for Belarusian citizens

 

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet has called on the European Union to continue the visa facilitation process for the citizens of Belarus to make travel to the bloc for them easier, said BelaPAN.

Mr. Paet discussed the situation in Belarus while meeting with his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, in Helsinki on Friday.

The EU should concentrate its efforts on support of civil society in Belarus, the Estonian minister said.

“Estonia plans to increase its support for the civil society of Belarus through the training sessions of Estonia’s Eastern Partnership Centre and offering Belarusian students opportunities to study in Estonian universities,” the press office of the Estonian foreign ministry quoted Mr. Paet as saying.

Estonia also supports European Humanities University, a private Belarusian university that has had to move to Vilnius after being closed by the authorities in 2004, Mr. Paet said.

“The European Union should also continue with the visa facilitation process to make travel to the EU easier for Belarusian citizens,” he added.