MINSK, 19 February (BelTA) – Chairman of the International Affairs Commission of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Sergei Rachkov delivered a speech at a session of the OSCE PA General Committee on Political Affairs and Security. In his speech Sergei Rachkov called for ensuring stability and economic competitiveness in the region, the press service of the lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament told BelTA.
“Belarus proceeds from the assumption that the current security crisis in the OSCE region is systemic in nature. It is caused by consistent departures from the principle of equal and indivisible security and disregard for the legitimate interests of every state,” Sergei Rachkov noted.
The Belarusian parliamentarian noted that, unfortunately, the OSCE has not been doing anything recently to ensure a safe and conflict-free situation in Europe. He is convinced that today it is necessary to work on resolving one’s own problems, primarily in economy and security, in order to ensure stability, a decent standard of living for people, and economic competitiveness of the region.
Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly
“Attempts to prolong confrontation, militarize neighboring territories, and preserve the logic of geopolitical confrontation lead in the opposite direction,” he stressed.
The Belarusian side also pointed out that it is unacceptable for extremist elements, who are prosecuted in Belarus under the law, to use the Parliamentary Assembly as a platform.
“Our delegation supports the opinion expressed by the OSCE secretary general today that it is important to seek answers to questions about the causes of the current situation in the organization. We also agree with Mr. [the OSCE PA Committee on Political Affairs rapporteur Tobias] Winkler that there should be no coercion, there should be economic cooperation,” Sergei Rachkov noted.
Belarus consistently advocates a return to the organization’s mandated logic, the restoration of genuine professional discussion of military and political risks, confidence-building measures, incident prevention, and arms control, he pointed out.
At the same time, in his words, the Belarusian side is convinced that the way out of the current impasse lies beyond the exclusively European agenda.
“In conditions of the evolving multipolar world the time has come to work out a new Eurasian security architecture based on respect for the interests of all states on the continent. President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko suggests: let us engage in dialogue instead of conflicts,” the MP said.
He noted that this is precisely the goal of the initiative put forward by the Belarusian side to form the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century. The idea is to create an inclusive conceptual framework for security that does not contradict the UN Charter and is focused on working out agreed principles for peaceful coexistence in Eurasia.
The Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, which has already established itself as a venue for open and substantive dialogue without preconditions or ideological filters, has become a practical platform for discussing these approaches. The parliamentarian stressed that Belarus is ready to continue providing such a platform to all interested states.
BelTA reported earlier that a delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus led by Chairman of the International Affairs Commission of the House of Representatives Sergei Rachkov is participating in the 25th winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna, Austria.
The press service of the House of Representatives told BelTA that contacts had taken place with the OSCE PA secretary general and with parliamentarians from Mongolia, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan. A meeting was also held with Hubert Berch, Co-Chair of the Belarusian-Austrian Business Council. During the meeting the parties discussed matters of parliamentary support for the development of bilateral trade and economic relations in modern conditions.
Follow us on:
