Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 6 July (BelTA) – Minsk can become a comfortable venue to discuss a new Helsinki Process, Chairman of the Council of the Republic Mikhail Myasnikovich said as he met with Victor-Viorel Ponta, Chairperson of the Standing Committee on European Affairs at the Romanian Parliament, head of the Romanian delegation to the OSCE PA on 6 July, BelTA has learned.

The idea to start discussing the new Helsinki Process was voiced by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko at the opening of the OSCE PA Annual Session in Minsk on 5 July. According to the president, the new Helsinki Process could facilitate the signing of a global compact by the world’s major powers that would finally put an end to the cold war that is long over, excluding the possibility of its renewal and escalation into a more tragic form, and offering a strategic vision of new constructive relations in the OSCE region.

“The main idea is that Minsk is ready to take the lead in organizing the discussions on the new Helsinki Process. There are many new and old problems piled up in Europe. We should not keep silent about them, as the president remarked. Unfortunately, the global situation has not been changing for the better: a new political and economic landscape is evident now,” Mikhail Myasnikovich noted.

According to the speaker, Minsk can become a comfortable venue to discuss these and other matters. “We are not committed to any coalition obligations. We could aspire to provide parity and pay close attention to the questions raised by the participants of these discussions,” Mikhail Myasnikovich emphasized.

He also stressed that the OSCE PA session in Minsk sees many interesting ideas and initiatives. “The participants show trust, honesty, and mutual respect when discussing the agenda and considering new initiatives,” the speaker added.

He also touched upon the matters of bilateral cooperation with Romania and noted that Belarus-Romania interparliamentary cooperation started to gain momentum in 2016. “I think our meeting will give another impetus to its development,” Mikhail Myasnikovich pointed out.

For his part, Victor-Viorel Ponta remarked that Belarus and Romania need to work together in order to successfully develop bilateral economic relations.