Opinions & Interviews

Belarus set to boost parliamentary contacts with India

MINSK, 11 June (BelTA) – Belarus is interested in expanding interparliamentary cooperation with India, Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko said as he met with Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament, on 11 June, BelTA has learnt.

Belarusian MPs would like to ramp up cooperation with their Indian counterparts. “Resumption of the work of the Group of Friendship with Belarus in India’s parliament would be a serious step in this direction,” Vladimir Andreichenko believes. The National Assembly of Belarus has such a group. Together Belarusian and Indian MPs could make a considerable contribution to expanding cooperation and exchanging legislative expertise, he added.

Belarus and India have great untapped potential in many areas, first of all, in trade, economy, interregional and humanitarian cooperation, Vladimir Andreichenko believes. “First and foremost, we would like to implement the projects outlined during the visit of Belarus’ president to India in autumn 2017,” he added. Belarus also seeks Indian investments and offers its market as a springboard to the markets of the EAEU and the EU.

The speaker noted that Belarus has been closely following the transformations taking place in India, in particular, in its economy. Belarus is happy for India’s successes and its increasing weight on the international arena.

Belarus and India have been constantly supporting each other within the framework of international organizations. The two countries have similar economic development priorities. “Belarus, just like India, is upgrading its economy to make it more innovative. This pertains, first of all, to information technology, nano- and bio-technology, nuclear energy, vehicle production,” the speaker of the House of Representatives said.

Vladimir Andreichenko hopes that the ongoing visit of India’s delegation to Belarus will open up a new page in interparliamentary relations, will help forge new contacts and promote better understanding and contribute to closer bilateral cooperation in trade, economy, and humanitarian field.

Sumitra Mahajan thanked Belarus for its support on the international arena. The speaker agreed with her Belarusian counterpart that Bealrus and India have not yet exhausted the opportunities offered by the bilateral cooperation. She reminded that the two countries had committed to increasing the bilateral trade up to $1 billion. “We have a lot of work ahead,” she said.

The Indian parliamentary delegation arrived in Belarus on an official visit on 9 June. The Indian MPs are scheduled to meet with top officials of the Council of the Republic of Belarus and tour the Hi-Tech Park and the India-Belarus Digital Learning Center in ICT named after Rajiv Gandhi.

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