Regime set to halt work of Goethe-Institut, German Academic Exchange Service in Belarus
The Belarusian authorities calls for putting an end to all the activities by the Goethe-Institut and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in the country, Germany’s Federal Foreign Office reported on Wednesday.
“This step will further exacerbate Belarus’ international isolation. The effects of its decision will be suffered by the Belarusian people, who will be denied further opportunities for cultural and civil-society activity,” the Office’s spokesperson said.
According to the press service, the Goethe-Institut and the DAAD have been helping to build cultural and academic bridges between Germany, Europe as a whole and Belarus for decades, serving as an intermediary to establish contact and exchange between entire generations of Belarusian interested persons and their German counterparts. This work has brought Germany and Belarus closer at the level of culture and society, the Foreign Office believes.
“Germany and the European Union stand by the Belarusian people and support their efforts and aspirations to have their basic political rights respected. We once again call on the Belarusian authorities to enter into a serious and inclusive national dialogue and to engage with the legitimate demands of the protest movement,” the statement reads.
The German government will continue working to maintain cultural and societal cooperation between our two countries in the future, they added.
