MINSK, 25 November (BelTA) – Belarus is ready to increase supplies of fertilizers and foodstuffs to Africa, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko said as he talked to Chairman of the Pan-African Parliament Fortune Charumbira via a video link, BelTA has learned.
“Our country is ready to increase the supply of fertilizers, high-quality and competitive foodstuffs and other products to Africa. We are well known in Africa for our reliable agricultural machinery, for participation in industrial projects, primarily in Egypt where we have an assembly factory producing tractors and MAZ vehicles. Our country intends to participate in joint projects in mining, infrastructure development, agriculture in Africa, including in Zimbabwe where the Republic of Belarus has recently opened its embassy,” said Vladimir Andreichenko.
Education is another promising avenue of cooperation, the speaker noted. “After all, more than 60% of the African population are people under 35 years old. Approximately 1,000 students from Africa study in Belarus. We are ready to significantly intensify educational partnerships,” the speaker stressed.
“Naturally, we understand that African countries also have their own economic interests in Belarus and the Eurasian Economic Union. Therefore, we support the proposals of African countries to ramp up the export of African products to our country and to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union,” added Vladimir Andreichenko. “In this regard, I would like to emphasize the importance of such a format of interaction as Belarus-Africa economic forums. This dialogue platform is aimed at comprehensive development of relations between Belarus and African countries. We will be glad to see official representatives of the African Union, including the Pan-African Parliament, at the third edition of the Belarus-Africa Economic Forum,” he said.
The parties discussed the interaction between the National Assembly of Belarus and the Pan-African Parliament. Belarus prioritizes the development of political dialogue, the enhancement of trade, economic and humanitarian relations with the countries of the entire African continent.
The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is an organ of the African Union. Its first session took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March 2004. The PAP currently has 275 members representing the 55 member states of the African Union. National delegations usually include five delegates, including two women. The PAP is led by a chairperson and four deputy chairpersons representing five regions of Africa (Northern, Central, Western, Eastern and Southern). Together they form the Bureau. In June 2022, Senator of the Zimbabwean Parliament Fortune Charumbira was elected Chairman of the Pan-African Parliament.
