Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 13 April (BelTA) – Belarus may be given observer status in the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC), BSPC President Janis Vucans told journalists on 13 April, BelTA has learned.

“We have been considering the matter since November 2015. In January, we made a decision to visit Minsk. During the talks, we would like to ask our questions and listen to the Belarusian side. The results of the current visit to Belarus will be discussed in May 2016. The final decision on granting observer status is likely to be made in August,” Janis Vucans explained.

He pointed out that “there are a number of areas where our cooperation is necessary. These include environment, education and science”. Janis Vucans noted that observer status will enable Belarus to attend sessions of the BSPC General Assembly and its Standing Committees. Countries with observer status cannot influence decision-making, but their opinion is taken into account.

A delegation of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference is in Belarus on a visit from 12 to 14 April. Established in 1991, BSPC aims to improve dialogue between governments, parliaments and civil society, strengthen the common identity of the Baltic Sea Region by means of close cooperation between national and regional parliaments on the basis of equality, and initiate and guide political activities in the Baltic Sea Region. Germany, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and five interparliamentary organizations, including the Baltic Assembly, the European Parliament, PACE, OSCE PA, and the Nordic Council, are members of BSPC. As many as 27 organizations have observer status.