Opinions & Interviews

Opinion: Parliamentary diplomacy should become a true force in building peace and trust

MINSK, 28 April (BelTA) - Parliamentary diplomacy should become a genuine force that realizes the will of peoples to build peace and trust, Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko said as he addressed the inter-parliamentary conference "The role of parliamentarians in strengthening international peace and trust," BelTA has learned.

"The theme of the conference is very relevant. Despite the fact that the UN General Assembly decalred 2021 as the International Year of Peace and Trust, we are witnessing a sharp increase in geopolitical and geoeconomic confrontation. The system of international relations is being dismantled. The use of sanctions has become a common tool of political pressure, and double standards have become part and parcel of a large-scale information war. Belarus, which is located on the geopolitical battle line between East and West, has also passed the test of strength. Many are not satisfied with the country’s independent foreign policy, its policy towards creative work and cooperation,” Vladimir Andreichenko said. “Based on the support of the absolute majority of citizens, we have not allowed the rampage of extremism, hostility and hatred on the Belarusian land and never will. Public peace and order and the welfare policy will continue to underpin the trust of people in the government. The results of the 6th Belarusian People's Congress speak about it."

According to the speaker, it is obvious that further escalation of confrontation and international tensions is a dead-end path. We need urgent concerted action by the international community, all sensible politicians and civil society to change the existing vector of global politics. "In this regard parliamentary diplomacy should become a true force in strengthening peace and trust. Our task is to offer a positive agenda for developing a community of nations based on the principles of equality, social justice, openness, trust, and shared responsibility. Confrontation between political blocs should make way for the concept of integration of integrations. The voice of small and medium-sized countries should be heard as they are rightful participants in global politics,” he stressed. “In view of this, the Belarusian president’s initiative to resume a large-scale dialogue on international security similar to the Helsinki Process is getting more and more time-sensitive. I believe that support from parliaments of this initiative could prompt politicians to step up efforts to find ways of overcoming the crisis in international relations and working out strategic solutions to strengthen peace and trust,” he added.

Cooperation in modern information technology is also a priority for ensuring global security, Vladimir Andreichenko pointed out. “Belarus has suggested forming a digital neighborhood belt. Relevant agreements could be centered on the ideas of digital sovereignty and neutrality. I urge all MPs to join the discussion of the proposal to hold a parliamentary conference on this topic,” he said.

This year, we mark the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, Vladimir Andreichenko noted. “Our sacred duty is to honor the memory of millions of people who were killed in the fight against Nazism. We should foil attempts to falsify history, rehabilitate Nazi criminals and their accomplices and, most importantly, we should never forget these historical lessons. The most crucial of them is the understanding that only joint efforts of the international community can help us solve the main issues of global politics. I sincerely hope that in the current difficult situation, we will adhere to the UN Charter and use parliamentary diplomacy to restore trust and focus on addressing modern challenges. There is no alternative to this approach,” Vladimir Andreichenko said.

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