Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives
MINSK, 4 November (BelTA) – Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Igor Sergeyenko held a meeting with Chairman of the Pan-African Parliament Fortune Charumbira on 4 November, BelTA has learned.
The parties said during the meeting that the goals of Belarus and African countries coincided in many respects. They are peace, economic development, improvement of citizens' welfare and, ultimately, the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“We are the primary voice of the peoples of Africa. I would like to praise Belarus as a country. We know how much good you have done both economically and socially. You are a great country,” Fortune Charumbira said.
“Belarus pursues a peace-loving foreign policy, consistently takes unifying initiatives aimed at building confidence and fruitful cooperation,” Igor Sergeyenko said. The speaker emphasized that the most important initiative on global dialogue for the formation of a new and comprehensive system of collective security belonged to the Belarusian president, and expressed hope for its support by the African states.
The National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the Pan-African Parliament are set to sign a memorandum of cooperation on 4 November. Under the document, the Belarusian parliament will be granted the observer status with the organization. As it was noted during the meeting, this is an important step in strengthening ties, exchanging visits, holding consultations on any issues of mutual interest.
Igor Sergeyenko invited the chairman of the Pan-African Parliament to visit Belarus at any time convenient for him. The Belarusian parliament will set up a delegation for cooperation with the Pan-African Parliament. It will include heads of friendship groups for cooperation with the parliaments of African countries. According to the speaker, the National Assembly has separate groups for cooperation with the parliaments of Zimbabwe, Algeria, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, South Africa and one friendship group with the parliaments of Angola, Libya, Morocco, Rwanda, Tunisia, Sudan and Uganda.
The speaker of the House of Representatives said that the interaction with the Pan-African Parliament as one of the important bodies of the African Union would make it possible to attract Belarusian companies to the African development programs envisaged in the African Union Agenda 2063. He also expressed confidence that the development of mutually beneficial cooperation would be facilitated by the expansion of interaction between Belarusian and African MPs in international parliamentary organizations, primarily in the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Much attention at the meeting was paid to the development of trade and economic cooperation. The total GDP of Africa is almost $3 trillion, which opens up great opportunities for building up mutually beneficial economic relations. Belarusian exports to Africa have almost quadrupled this year. In January-August 2024, it amounted to almost $1.5 billion and exceeded the annual figures of previous years.
Cooperation with a number of African states has been successfully developing, including Zimbabwe, where a program of agricultural mechanization has been implemented in partnership with Belarus since 2020. About 2,000 Belarusian tractors and harvesters have been delivered to the country. In 2022, Zimbabwe was fully self-sufficient in grain for the first time in the last 50 years. The largest wheat harvest of 375,000 tonnes was harvested. The parties discussed possible prospects for Belarus' participation in joint projects on mining, infrastructure development and agricultural mechanization in the African continent.
The parties also discussed cooperation in educational services. Citizens from 33 African states studied in Belarus last academic year. We are ready to step up cooperation in this area, and also deepen scientific and technical interaction and academic cooperation with the Pan-African Parliament, educational institutions and organizations in Africa.
“We are focused on cooperation that will be practical in nature. In your endeavor to build a peaceful and prosperous Africa, you can always count on constructive interaction with your Belarusian colleagues. You will have a reliable partner in us,” Igor Sergeyenko said.
As BelTA reported earlier, a delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus led by Speaker of the House of Representatives Igor Sergeyenko is on a visit to Midrand, South Africa on 4-5 November at the invitation of Chairman of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Fortune Charumbira to take part in the Fourth Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament. For the first time in history, the Belarusian parliament will be given the opportunity to speak at the official opening ceremony of the PAP session. The program of the visit will also include meetings of Speaker of the House of Representatives Igor Sergeyenko with the leadership of the PAP, the National Assembly of South Africa, heads of parliamentary delegations of African countries.
The parties said during the meeting that the goals of Belarus and African countries coincided in many respects. They are peace, economic development, improvement of citizens' welfare and, ultimately, the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“We are the primary voice of the peoples of Africa. I would like to praise Belarus as a country. We know how much good you have done both economically and socially. You are a great country,” Fortune Charumbira said.
“Belarus pursues a peace-loving foreign policy, consistently takes unifying initiatives aimed at building confidence and fruitful cooperation,” Igor Sergeyenko said. The speaker emphasized that the most important initiative on global dialogue for the formation of a new and comprehensive system of collective security belonged to the Belarusian president, and expressed hope for its support by the African states.
The National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the Pan-African Parliament are set to sign a memorandum of cooperation on 4 November. Under the document, the Belarusian parliament will be granted the observer status with the organization. As it was noted during the meeting, this is an important step in strengthening ties, exchanging visits, holding consultations on any issues of mutual interest.
Igor Sergeyenko invited the chairman of the Pan-African Parliament to visit Belarus at any time convenient for him. The Belarusian parliament will set up a delegation for cooperation with the Pan-African Parliament. It will include heads of friendship groups for cooperation with the parliaments of African countries. According to the speaker, the National Assembly has separate groups for cooperation with the parliaments of Zimbabwe, Algeria, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, South Africa and one friendship group with the parliaments of Angola, Libya, Morocco, Rwanda, Tunisia, Sudan and Uganda.
The speaker of the House of Representatives said that the interaction with the Pan-African Parliament as one of the important bodies of the African Union would make it possible to attract Belarusian companies to the African development programs envisaged in the African Union Agenda 2063. He also expressed confidence that the development of mutually beneficial cooperation would be facilitated by the expansion of interaction between Belarusian and African MPs in international parliamentary organizations, primarily in the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Much attention at the meeting was paid to the development of trade and economic cooperation. The total GDP of Africa is almost $3 trillion, which opens up great opportunities for building up mutually beneficial economic relations. Belarusian exports to Africa have almost quadrupled this year. In January-August 2024, it amounted to almost $1.5 billion and exceeded the annual figures of previous years.
Cooperation with a number of African states has been successfully developing, including Zimbabwe, where a program of agricultural mechanization has been implemented in partnership with Belarus since 2020. About 2,000 Belarusian tractors and harvesters have been delivered to the country. In 2022, Zimbabwe was fully self-sufficient in grain for the first time in the last 50 years. The largest wheat harvest of 375,000 tonnes was harvested. The parties discussed possible prospects for Belarus' participation in joint projects on mining, infrastructure development and agricultural mechanization in the African continent.
The parties also discussed cooperation in educational services. Citizens from 33 African states studied in Belarus last academic year. We are ready to step up cooperation in this area, and also deepen scientific and technical interaction and academic cooperation with the Pan-African Parliament, educational institutions and organizations in Africa.
“We are focused on cooperation that will be practical in nature. In your endeavor to build a peaceful and prosperous Africa, you can always count on constructive interaction with your Belarusian colleagues. You will have a reliable partner in us,” Igor Sergeyenko said.
As BelTA reported earlier, a delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus led by Speaker of the House of Representatives Igor Sergeyenko is on a visit to Midrand, South Africa on 4-5 November at the invitation of Chairman of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Fortune Charumbira to take part in the Fourth Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament. For the first time in history, the Belarusian parliament will be given the opportunity to speak at the official opening ceremony of the PAP session. The program of the visit will also include meetings of Speaker of the House of Representatives Igor Sergeyenko with the leadership of the PAP, the National Assembly of South Africa, heads of parliamentary delegations of African countries.
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