Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 20 November (BelTA) – The Parliaments of Belarus and Georgia need to take their relations to a new level, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze told the media after a meeting with Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich, BelTA has learned.

“We want to take the relations between the legislative bodies of our countries to a brand new level," Irakli Kobakhidze said. He noted that the Georgian parliamentary delegation and the National Assembly of Belarus will sign a statement which envisages more interaction in this regard.

“This statement actually will help improve the relations between the two countries. The groups of inter-parliamentary cooperation and the corresponding committees of parliaments also contribute to these efforts,” he noted,

Irakli Kobakhidze expressed the hope that the existing close partnership between Belarus and Georgia will become an example for other states interested in peace and security in the region.

When speaking with journalists, Mikhail Myasnikovich noted the importance of the parliamentary dimension in strengthening bilateral and multilateral contacts. In his view, Belarus and Georgia are actively working within the framework of the Eastern Partnership initiative. “We see that there are enough big reserves in the cooperation in general and in specific areas,” the speaker said.

He also welcomed the positive momentum in bilateral trade and economic relations, noting that the trade rose 1.6 times in 2016 and that the Belarusian export increased 2.5 times. Good dynamics is observed in 2017. According to Mikhail Myasnikovich, the two parries are exploring not only the commercial cooperation but also the setting up of business centers for the companies that will have joint competence and interest.

Among other things, Mikhail Myasnikovich noted the importance of interaction between Belarus and Georgia within the framework of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.