BRUSSELS, September 17. /TASS/. The European Parliament (EP) called the so-called Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition an "interim representation of the people" of the republic, and called on the institutions of the European Union to assist it, according to the EP resolution on Belarus adopted Thursday.

The European Parliament’s resolutions are nonbinding and act as recommendations.

The European Parliament "welcomes the Coordination Council as an interim representation of the people demanding democratic change in Belarus; […] reiterates, in this respect, the calls by the Belarusian people for the organisation of new, free and fair elections to take place as soon as possible under international supervision, led by the OSCE/ODIHR and in accordance with internationally recognised standards," the document reads. It "calls on the [European] Commission, the the VP/HR [High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission] and the [European] Council to provide assistance to Belarus’ democratic opposition, including the Coordination Council led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya."