26th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Minsk

MINSK, 5 July (BelTA) – More than 600 guests have already arrived in Belarus for the 26^th Summer Annual Session the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly Vladimir Andreichenko said as he met with President of the Parliament of Montenegro Ivan Brajovic on 5 July, BelTA has learned.

“More than 600 guests from about 60 OSCE countries and partners have already arrived for the session,” Vladimir Andreichenko said.

The speaker remarked that the agenda of the session is aimed at enhancing mutual trust and cooperation in the name of peace and prosperity in the region. This agenda proposed by Belarus has been supported by many states and the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly.

According to Vladimir Andreichenko, apart from major resolutions which will be discussed at three joint committee meetings, a number of countries have put forward their own initiatives. There are 15 such resolutions. These include two resolutions aimed against the Republic of Belarus. According to the speaker, such documents are provocative ones, they sow new seeds of discord instead of uniting people. The chairman of the House of Representatives reminded that Minsk has made a big contribution to ensuring regional security and the regulation of the conflict in southeastern Ukraine.

Speaking about the bilateral relations of Belarus and Montenegro, Vladimir Andreichenko said that it is necessary to step up the development of the legal framework. Montenegro still needs to consider such important documents as a memorandum of interaction in customs affairs and an agreement on the mutual protection of investments, the speaker said. There is a group of friendship on cooperation with Montenegro at the National Assembly of Belarus. Vladimir Andreichenko hopes that a similar group will be established in the parliament of Montenegro soon.

According to the chairman of the House of Representatives, there are good prospects for cooperation in such industries as agriculture, manufacturing, information technologies. Tourism is one of the crucial industries in bilateral relations. Some 36,000 Belarusian tourists visited Montenegro in 2016.

The OSCE PA Summer Session takes place in Minsk on 5-9 July.