MINSK, 29 November (BelTA) – There is a need to increase the level of political interaction between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the parliamentary structures of the CSTO, Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko said during the joint meeting of the Council and the 14th plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO PA) via video conference, BelTA has learned.
Vladimir Andreichenko spoke “on the standards of democratic elections in the CSTO member states and their protection from foreign interference".
"To counteract foreign interference, we need to increase the level of political interaction between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the parliaments of the CSTO member countries and to develop a common position on the matter of inviting international organizations for election observation. Such interaction will enable us to gain traction on such a conceptual issue matter as the development of generally accepted standards for democratic elections within the framework of the UN, a set of rules for international observation of elections," Vladimir Andreichenko said. “The Belarusian president has repeatedly drawn attention to the issue. I believe that the MPs of the CSTO countries should initiate the process of developing standards, promoting this thesis in all international organizations, including the UN,” Vladimir Andreichenko said.
According to the speaker, there is a need to consider putting together an international pool of journalists from among the authoritative media outlets of the CSTO member states. “Its work should be focused on systemic coverage of electoral processes in our countries. The public should get an objective picture of the events taking place, and any possible foreign attacks should be promptly and effectively repelled. We need to be proactive in developing the information agenda and providing the public with the objective information, using modern technologies and platforms. Our information voice must be a powerful one in shaping public opinion,” he stressed.
Vladimir Andreichenko expressed confidence that through the collective efforts the CSTO countries would be able to effectively protect their common interests in the international arena and “most importantly, to reliably ensure the right of our peoples to choose their development path”.
