MINSK, 5 June (BelTA) – The House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus hopes that Austrian MPs will soon visit Belarus, Chairman of the House of Representatives said as he met with Austria's Ambassador to Belarus Aloisia Worgetter on 5 June, BelTA has learned.
Vladimir Andreichenko expressed hope that Austrian MPs would find an opportunity to visit Belarus in the near future. “We are looking forward to the visit,” the chairman of the House of Representatives said.
The Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is due to take place in Vienna in August. “If this conference takes place, we will definitely take part in it. We have something to say. The policy of Belarus, both internal and external, is aimed at strengthening peace, stability, and mutual trust,” the speaker said.
President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka offered his Belarusian colleague to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the conference. “We are happy to accept this offer,” said Vladimir Andreichenko and invited Wolfgang Sobotka to visit Belarus any time convenient for him.
The speaker said that his previous meeting with the ambassador took place on the eve of the historical event, the first official visit of the Belarusian president to Austria. The visit took place in November 2019. “The visit was very fruitful and was held in the spirit of friendship and openness. It is important that a number of fundamental agreements have been reached in economy, industry, communications,” Vladimir Andreichenko stressed. The speaker noted that even in the difficult time of the pandemic, the Belarusian-Austrian trade rose by 5% in the first quarter of this year year-on-year.
During his visit to Austria, the Belarusian leader met with Wolfgang Sobotka. The chairman of the House of Representatives called it a new page in the inter-parliamentary relations between the two countries. For the first time, a friendship group with Belarus has been set up in the Austrian Parliament. The House of Representatives has welcomed this step. In turn, there is a friendship group with Austria in the Belarusian parliament.
Ambassador to Belarus Aloisia Worgetter also stressed the importance of the Belarusian president's visit to Austria. “Aleksandr Lukashenko made an open speech in the Austrian Parliament. It was obvious that the president was very passionate about what he does, about the interests of Belarus," she said. The Ambassador noted that all the MPs who attended the meeting with the president are now members of the friendship group with Belarus.
“I hope that the two parliamentary groups, which are responsible for relations between the countries, can meet as soon as possible," she added.
As for the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, the Ambassador expressed the hope that it would take place. According to the diplomat, the organizers closely monitor the epidemiological situation. No final decision has yet been made.
Photos by Andrei Pokumeiko
