The Council of Europe has decided on the candidates for the post of the new Secretary General.

The list included Belgium’s Foreign Minister, Didier Reynders, and former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, newsbeezer reported. 

Earlier, the Lithuanian government reportedly decided to offer for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe, former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius. The former PM, in his turn, noted that following the occupation of Crimea, the Council of Europe had a specific relationship with Russia, and this would be one of the important factors for further discussion about the general secretary issue.

The Russian side has not responded to the proposed candidates yet. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier said that the moment of truth will come in June 2019, when the Secretary General of the organization will be elected.

The current Secretary General of the Council of Europe, former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland, is coming to an end this fall. His successor will be appointed by the institutions of the Strasbourg Council in June.