Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 9 October (BelTA) – Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko delivered a speech at the third meeting of the Speakers of the Parliaments of Eurasia in Antalya, Turkey. The speaker explained Belarus’ foreign policy principles and initiatives, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Embassy in Turkey.

“Unfortunately, the world has not changed for the better in recent years. Since the end of the Cold War, the global security has never experienced such a serious systemic crisis. Global powers are obviously not ready to search for compromises. Military conflicts, information wars, apparent inefficiency of the migration policy are a testimony to that. Today we are grappling with consequences without coming to grips with the fundamental causes of these issues. The use of force in addressing international issues, a false stereotype about incompatibility of East and West and consequently a bloc mentality undermine trust between nations. It is absolutely obvious for us that only interaction and search for common ground can destroy artificial barriers. It is necessary to give an added impetus to security dialogue as soon as possible, to work out a set of measures to restore mutual trust and cooperation. This is the purpose of the initiative of the Belarusian president to restart the Helsinki process,” Vladimir Andreichenko said.

He added that it is not at all about the revision of the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, but about taking a fresh look at the world taking into consideration the new challenges, increasing tensions and the arms race. He urged to embark on a discussion to identify the most sensitive issues and to come to grips with them collectively. This work should be carried out in all possible formats and at all levels. Being a contributor to regional security, Belarus can host this kind of events, the speaker said.

Economic cooperation, alignment of various integration processes and projects are key to security and social stability. Vladimir Andreichenko spoke in favor of a dialogue between the EU and the EAEU, other regional organizations, increased interaction, especially in such areas as logistics, customs clearance, technical regulation and trade facilitation. The large-scale initiative Silk Road Economic Belt is of great interest to Belarus.

Vladimir Andreichenko said that next spring Minsk will host an international conference of the OSCE PA Silk Road Support Group and invited colleagues to join the group.

The speaker also noted that thanks to its location, industrial, transport and logistics capabilities and business environment, Belarus plays the role of a natural bridge between Europe and Asia. He described some of the country’s achievements in agriculture, industry and spoke on the country’s progress towards the goals of the 2030 Agenda.

“This year has been declared the Year of Native Land in Belarus. The project is designed to maintain the uniqueness of the places we were born and grew up, make them more comfortable and discover their competitive economic advantages. Belarus has launched a 30-day visa-free travel program for citizens of more than 70 countries. We invite our fellow parliamentarians to visit our country, where, I am sure, you will make a lot of new friends and reliable partners,” Vladimir Andreichenko said.