Rector of the University Prof. Sergei Ignatov greeted Minister Jeppe Kofod and thanked him for the all-round support provided to the EHU community by Denmark.
After that, Minister Jeppe Kofod addressed the students who took part in the meeting and noted how important it is for Denmark to support democracy in Belarus. Minister Jeppe Kofod asked about the state of affairs of the students and the possibility of providing them with additional help.
Students told about themselves and their studies at the University, shared their vision of the situation in Belarus, and the possible role of Denmark in resolving the political crisis in the country, and also noted the key importance of liberal education provided by EHU as a basis for raising a new generation of active, independently-thinking and enlightened citizens of Belarus.
Denmark has always been actively supporting the European Humanities University: it was one of the first countries to support the Belarusian University in exile after it had been closed in Minsk and moved to Vilnius. In addition, the outstanding Danish diplomat Ambassador Per Carlsen, who served as Chairman of the EHU Governing Board until the end of 2019, and later was a member of the Friends of EHU group, made an invaluable contribution to the development of the University.
Denmark continued to support the EHU community after the 2020 presidential elections: the New Democracy Fund (Den Ny Demokrati-fond), founded with the assistance of Minister Jeppe Kofod, allocated 300,000 DKK (about € 40,000) to help students facing political pressure in Belarus.
