Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Greece supports the aspirations of the Belarusian people for democracy and human rights, President Katerina Sakellaropoulou has told exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

At the European People's Party (EPP) congress in Bucharest, GERB leader Boyko Borissov delivered a compelling address, urging Austrian authorities to reconsider their decision to block Bulgaria and Romania's accession to the Schengen area along the land borders.

Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov and Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel engaged in discussions with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, shedding light on the grave implications of democratic erosion within the European landscape.

Former Prime Minister and current leader of the GERB party, Boyko Borissov, welcomed Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya at the party's headquarters. Tsikhanouskaya, known for her staunch opposition to both the war in Ukraine and the regime in Belarus, found an ally in Borissov, who emphasized GERB's unwavering support for Ukraine and its military efforts.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko yesterday banned citizens from renewing their passports while abroad, which could force those who fled the country, amid a growing crackdown, to return to keep their travel documents.

The Nobel Foundation on Sept. 2 withdrew its invitation for representatives of Russia, Belarus and Iran to attend this year's Nobel Prize award ceremonies after the decision announced a day earlier "provoked strong reactions."

Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt announced that Norway had officially changed its name (in Norwegian) for Belarus. Authorities in Oslo will now call the country "Belarus" and will not use the hitherto adopted name for the country Hviterussland, which literally means "White Russia".

The news was reported in the Norwegian media.

The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced just three weeks before world leaders gather for a climate summit that scientists say could determine the future of the planet, one reason why prize watchers say this could be the year of Greta Thunberg.

Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will attend an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Gymnich format, September 2-3, in Kranj, Slovenia, under the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Ljubljana/Bled – The annual Bled Strategic Forum (BSF), Slovenia’s pre-eminent foreign-policy conference, will take place in Bled on Wednesday and Thursday. The conference discussions will focus on the future of Europe and will feature the most high-level line-up of senior officials to date.