Opinions & Interviews
Belarusian parliamentary diplomacy to focus on balancing contacts in foreign policy vectors
MINSK, 2 April (BelTA) – The key goal of Belarusian parliamentary diplomacy is to secure balance of contacts in all the external vectors. Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko made the relevant statement as he opened the spring session of the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament on 2 April, BelTA has learned.
The speaker underlined that Belarus is committed to constructively resolving international problems and views absolutely everyone, who is ready to cooperate with the country, as equal partners. “We see the balance of contacts in all vectors of Belarusian foreign policy as the key task of parliamentary diplomacy,” he said.
The efforts are primarily required in the western and eastern directions of cooperation. “It is in these regions of the world that contours of a brand new architecture of international relations are starting to emerge. And naturally we are genuinely interested in finding and securing the points where key economic and humanitarian interests on the continent come together,” Vladimir Andreichenko noted.
Belarusian MPs got behind and push hard the idea of integration of integrations at all interparliamentary platforms, including the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Minsk will host a conference of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly‘s Silk Road Support Group in late April. Participants of the conference are expected to discuss ways to bolster the investment, transit, and tourism appeal of the countries, which are interested in implementing this initiative. Representatives of 23 nations will take part in the conference. Exchange of opinions will be very useful and will have a positive impact on stronger comprehensive mutually beneficial cooperation, the head of the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament is convinced. Vladimir Andreichenko remarked that MPs will endeavor to present as complete information as possible about Belarus’ potential as an important link in the Silk Road Economic Belt to their foreign partners. Another draft resolution will become another Belarusian initiative in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Plans have been made to submit the draft resolution for consideration of the 28th annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Luxembourg in July 2019. The document is designed to bolster cooperation in the area of technological forecasting.
Belarusian MPs also handle a serious set of tasks within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. As proposals to advance integration are developed, it is necessary to focus on ways to better tap into the potential of R&D cooperation and manufacturing cooperation, Vladimir Andreichenko noted. “Citizens of Belarus and Russia should really feel economic and social benefits of integration. This is why it is the job of parliamentarians to work as hard as possible to remove everything that impedes the free flow of commodities, services, capital, workforce, everything that interferes with the creation of equal conditions and guarantees for commercial entities of the two countries,” Vladimir Andreichenko said.
Preparations for the 56th session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia in Belarus and the 6th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia in Russia are underway. The work should focus on oversight and enforcement of previously made decisions, the MP believes.
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