Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 7 February (BelTA) – The MPs pledged to make every effort to enable comfortable conditions for the operation of Belarusian and Latvian commercial entities at a meeting between heads of Belarus’ National Assembly and Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis on 7 February, BelTA informs.

Speaker of the Council of the Republic Mikhail Myasnikovich clarified the position of the Belarusian parliament on trade and economic relations with Latvia. “We will support and ratify every agreement necessary to provide Belarusian and Latvian commercial entities with comfortable conditions,” he noted.

Belarusian MPs have a great interest in promoting good-neighborly relations with Latvia. The speaker expressed solidarity with the opinion voiced by the Latvian PM: bilateral cooperation should be filled with specific projects. “We have things to trade. We have an opportunity to improve our services and develop political relations, including interparliamentary ones. This refers to bilateral relations and pursuing a concerted policy in international organizations,” Mikhail Myasnikovich remarked.

The National Assembly commended the intensification of interparliamentary cooperation with Latvia. The heads of parliaments have already exchanged visits to consider parliamentary activity, trade and economic relations, and humanitarian contacts. There are many Belarusians living in Latvia, Mikhail Myasnikovich recalled. He expressed gratitude to Latvia for respect to the opinion of the ethnic minority.

“In my opinion, Latvia could use the opportunities of our bilateral relations in a more active way so as to promote its interests in the EAEU,” the speaker added. He offered to give an impetus to interregional cooperation and expand it. Mikhail Myasnikovich also touched upon investment cooperation opportunities and the preparations for the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship to be co-hosted by Minsk and Riga.

In turn, Maris Kucinskis stressed that he is accompanied in Belarus by quite a large delegation comprising senior staff of different ministries and government agencies. “I see many fields where Belarus and Latvia can and should be cooperating,” the Latvian PM emphasized.