On 2 June 2026, the Congress Rapporteur for a Democratic Belarus, Belinda Gottardi (Italy, SOC/G/PD), participated in the second Kościuszko Forum in Gdansk, co-organised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland and the European Solidarity Centre. Speaking on a panel alongside Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, she stressed the vital importance of nurturing a democratic culture from the bottom up to counter the Lukashenka regime and defend European values.
"Authoritarian regimes try to rewrite history, erase identity, and monopolise the narrative. In response, a vibrant democratic culture becomes a shield and a strategy. It preserves historical truth, fosters community solidarity, and co-ordinates peaceful resistance. For Belarusians, celebrating their rich cultural heritage, their language, and their European identity is an act of defiance. It is a declaration that Belarus belongs to the European family of values," the Rapporteur declared, pledging to deepen co-operation and amplify Belarusian voices in Strasbourg. She highlighted the historic milestone achieved by the Congress since 2025, which officially granted a delegation of elected representatives of Belarusian democratic forces a seat at the table within its political assembly, ensuring that exiled leaders play an active role in European dialogue.
Looking to the future, the Rapporteur pointed to the ongoing preparation of a Congress report designed to help local and regional authorities support Belarusians in exile. This upcoming initiative will provide municipalities with practical guidelines to help them safeguard Belarusian exiles from transnational repression, ease their legal status, and facilitate their access to local services. The report will also encourage the active civic engagement of Belarusians in local participatory processes in their host communities, serving as both an integration tool and a practical school of local democracy.
The participation of the Congress Rapporteur was organised within the project "Empowering Belarusian democratic forces to promote local democracy and human rights" (2026-2027), as part of the Council of Europe's Contact Group on Co-operation with Belarusian Democratic Forces and Civil Society.
