MINSK, 9 September (BelTA) - Following a report to the head of state, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Igor Sergeyenko spoke about the way the parliamentarians promote the Belarusian agenda and defend national interests in the Conversation with the President project on Belarus 1 TV Channel, BelTA has learned.
Lawmaking and public outreach
“The high assessment from the head of state obliges the deputy corps in many ways. We must step up our work,” Igor Sergeyenko said.
According to him, preparations for the opening of the next session of the House of Representatives are on the home stretch. “We have 21 draft laws in our portfolio. They cover completely different areas. They can be classified into the following blocks: national security and law enforcement, socio-economic block, and matters of an international nature. It was once again determined that deputies, working in their districts, communicating with their constituents, meeting with citizens, and participating in events, must study public opinion, see the problems that concern society today, and form an independent view,” Igor Sergeyenko said, adding that MPs follow such approaches on a systematic basis.
During the previous session, 64 draft laws were adopted. A significant part of them concerned issues of social protection of the population, economy, education, law enforcement, and others.
“The president pointed out that we should more often invite specialists from ministries and departments responsible for a specific area (not just the heads) to jointly find solutions through the process of discussion,” said Igor Sergeyenko.
The practice of on-site seminars to study law enforcement practices and MPs’ office hours will also continue.
People's diplomacy
In international activities, priority is given to interaction within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia on matters of social and economic development of the countries, harmonizing the rights of citizens, and conducting patriotic events with a focus on youth. As an example, he cited the recent Union State youth forum that took place in Mogilev.
“We are also working actively on platforms such as the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly together with the Council of the Republic. We work with European partners and MPs within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and this year we head the ‘Eurasia’ group within the Inter-Parliamentary Union. We are developing contacts in interstate parliamentary associations. We have obtained observer status in the Pan-African Parliament and the Asian Parliamentary Assembly. In the near future, we will become observers in the Arab Parliament. This provides an opportunity not only to develop contacts but also to speak at these venues,” Igor Sergeyenko said.
The working trip to Vietnam was a success. There, on the instruction of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Igor Sergeyenko participated as an honorary guest in the parade marking the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s August Revolution and the Independence Day. Economic matters were also worked on, resulting in the signing of agreements on supplies of Belarusian products.
“We try to find our niche in all such trips, developing contacts through people's diplomacy,” Igor Sergeyenko said.
In his words, the House of Representatives of the National Assembly has established friendship groups with specific countries and regions. A visit by parliamentarians from Algeria is set to take place in the near future. MPs from Indonesia were recently hosted in Belarus. Visits from MPs of Türkiye and Vietnam are also expected soon.
Preserving historical memory
One of the areas of activity for the House of Representatives is work on preserving historical memory. On the initiative of deputies, a series of military-patriotic meetings was held at the country's universities, and parliamentary readings took place on various platforms. Printed materials were published.
One promising project discussed in Mogilev at the Union State youth forum is the creation of a permanent youth center for patriotic education in Bobruisk. The center will be based in the fortress, which is over 200 years old, with funding from the national budget, the regional budget, and the budget of the Union State. This initiative by the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee has been supported. “A serious reconstruction lies ahead. This is a major project,” Igor Sergeyenko said.
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