European Parliament President Roberta Metsola made a surprise visit to Ukraine over the weekend to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Lviv.
During their meeting on Saturday, Zelensky thanked Metsola for her leadership in supporting Ukraine and for the EP’s resolution last June granting the country EU membership status.
According to Zelensky, “Ukraine aims to complete the implementation of the European Commission’s recommendations and begin negotiations on joining the EU this year.”
Metsola promised that cooperation between Ukraine and the EP would “only grow stronger” after making her second visit to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began over a year ago.
She also reiterated her support for a special tribunal to prosecute Russia’s crimes against Ukraine, as “there can be no peace without accountability.”
Source: Polskie Radio
Polish officials have condemned the ten-year prison sentence for Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, who was sentenced on Friday in what was widely seen as a politically-motivated trial.
A court in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Friday sentenced Bialiatski to 10 years in prison for financing protests and smuggling money, according to reports from Reuters.
Bialiatski, 60, has campaigned for an independent and democratic Belarus for decades and is the founder of the Belarusian human rights organization Viasna and the former vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights.
In July 2021, Bialiatski and fellow activists Valiantsin Stefanovic and Uladzimir Labkovich were detained by Belarusian security police as part of a crackdown on Belarusian opposition figures under the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya reiterated previous claims that the activists were unfairly arrested and convicted, calling the recent verdict “simply appalling,” Reuters reported.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki condemned the verdict in a post on Facebook, calling the trial “politically motivated” and calling for “the release of all those who have been unjustly convicted.”
Source: Polskie Radio, Reuters
Residents in Gdańsk celebrated the official opening of the Nowa Warszawska tram line on Saturday with free tram rides, cycle trips on the new bike path, and family picnics.
The two-kilometer tram route connects the Ujeścisko tram loop with Vaclav Havel avenue. Local residents praised the new addition for providing a “great connection to the center” as “it will shorten the journey to the station by six minutes.”
Trams will reportedly run along the route at speeds up to 70 km or over 40 miles per hour.
The new line was not without some controversy, including concerns over eliminating the 118 bus line through Chełm and ongoing issues regarding access to new tram stops.
Gdańsk Mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz promised the city would go “step by step” and engage in dialogue with the community to resolve existing scheduling and access issues.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the City of Gdańsk are offering a series of free integration and inclusion workshops for Polish and Ukrainian youth.
The workshops will focus on “building an equal, inclusive, and cohesive society based on the principles of mutual understanding and respect” through discussions of identity, non-discrimination, and tolerance.
Workshop participants will have the opportunity to establish local support networks and take advantage of individual coaching sessions to help turn their project ideas into concrete actions. At the end of the year, participants will be invited to present the results of their work at a conference in Lublin, the 2023 European Youth Capital.
According to Barbara Borowiak from the Department of Social Development in Gdańsk, the workshops will be conducted in English by people experienced in working with youth from conflict zones.
The first workshop is scheduled for April 3-5 at ECS, and recruitment is open from now until March 24. Participants must hold Ukrainian or Polish citizenship, be under the age of 30, and be able to communicate in English.
More information on the program is available at: https://www.gdansk.pl/migracje/warsztaty-dla-mlodziezy-polskiej-i-ukrainskiej-na-temat-spojnosci-spolecznej-i-tolerancji,a,238063
Source: Radio Gdańsk, gdansk.pl
Weather
Today will be mostly sunny with very little chance of rain or snow and a strong breeze coming in from the northwest. Temperatures will be slightly colder than yesterday, climbing to a high of 3°C or 37°F before dropping to a low of -3°C or 27°F overnight. Similar temperatures are expected for tomorrow, with a chance for snow showers in the late morning and early evening.
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