MINSK, 9 April (BelTA) – Belarus and the UK want to expand mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation. Member of the Foreign Affairs and National Security Committee of the Council of the Republic, head of the working group of Belarus' National Assembly on cooperation with the British Parliament Oleg Rummo met with member of the House of Lords European Union Committee, External Affairs Sub-Committee Alison Mary Suttie to discuss bilateral cooperation focusing on the humanitarian sphere, BelTA has learned.
Oleg Rummo noted that Belarusian MPs visited the UK in 2017. During the visit, they discussed topical matters of cooperation in all areas. In 2018, a delegation of the British Parliament visited Belarus and also held fruitful talks.
The Council of the Republic expects that the current visit of Alison Mary Suttie will be another step in supporting the cooperation and will give it a new meaning. The parties discussed specific joint projects in the humanitarian sphere.
Oleg Rummo is also the head of the Minsk research center for surgery, transplantology, and hematology. He spoke about the longstanding cooperation between the center and its colleagues from Oxford University. They exchange specialists and technologies, have established ties not only between specialists but also between patients after transplantation surgeries. They organize joint social events: football matches, bicycle races, and others.
Oleg Rummo believes that Brexit will give the UK new opportunities for cooperation with non-EU countries. In turn, Alison Mary Suttie said that she intends to consider matters of mutual interest, global problems and challenges which concern both the countries. She came to Belarus within the framework of the COMPASS project financed by the British government. The member of the House of Lords gave a lecture at Belarusian State University. She spoke about international relations, in particular, the problems around Brexit. She also participated in a training on the British Parliamentary debates and was impressed with the competence of Belarusian students.
