DCM Hall welcomes participants of the 6th United Students of Belarus Rally
August 29, 2012
On August 29th, DCM Anne Hall delivered welcoming remarks to the audience of 40 participants of the 6th annual United Students of Belarus Rally. For the second year in a row, PAS Vilnius supported this program with a small grant. Organized by the Eastern Europe Studies Center, the rallies are training opportunities for young Belarusian students and expats; this year’s theme is “Entrepreneurship and Democratization.”
The welcome session also included an address by Edminas Bagdonas, the newly appointed Director of Eastern Neighborhood Policy Department at the MFA. Mr. Bagdonas previously spent five years as the Lithuanian Ambassador to Belarus, and in his speech he focused on the GOL efforts to promote people-to-people contacts between citizens of Belarus and those of the EU. According to Mr. Bagdonas, Lithuanian consular officers in Belarus issue 1,000 Schengen visas a day, 45% of which are multiple entry and 30% of which are no-fee. GOL continues to pursue dialogue with GOB on simplification of the visa regime, despite the fact that the previously negotiated agreements visa-free have not succeeded.