Opinions & Interviews

OSCE PA Silk Road Support Group declaration based on mutual interests

MINSK, 29 April (BelTA) – The final declaration of the 2nd International Conference of the OSCE PA Silk Road Support Group “Belt and Road: strengthening cooperation for sustainable development and prosperity" was adopted in Minsk on 29 April, BelTA has learned.

According to Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Boleslav Pirshtuk, the final declaration outlines areas of work which represent the mutual interest for the Silk Road Support Group member states. According to the vice speaker, the document does not contains conditions, it is based on good will of the states.

Boleslav Pirshtuk stated that the issues raised at the international parliamentary conference in Minsk were consonant with the themes touched upon at the 2nd Belt and Road Forum of International Cooperation in Beijing last week. The two events were held in unison, and the initiatives and proposals voiced at the highest level will be consolidated in the parliamentary dimension and legislation, the vice speaker said.

In his words, the conference was also attended by representatives of countries that are not members of the Silk Road Support Group. This shows a growing interest in its activities and the development of cooperation in the region, the deputy chairman of the House of Representatives said.

The first conference of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Silk Road Support Group took place in Azerbaijan in March 2018. The purpose of the Minsk event was to present economic and investment capabilities of Belarus as an important hub of the Silk Road Economic Belt. The Minsk conference was attended by MPs and business representatives from Austria, Azerbaijan, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, and Switzerland. The OSCE PA Silk Road Support Group was set up at the 26th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Minsk in 2017.

The group is designed to expand the areas of cooperation and strengthen political, economic and cultural relations between the participating states. The group plays a role of a platform to promote mutually beneficial economic and trade ties, in particular through promoting connectivity and developing transport corridors, transport and trade facilitation measures, promoting free and secure movement of persons, goods, services and investments.

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