MINSK, 25 November (BelTA) – Political and cultural differences between countries should not hamper their cooperation, Lodovico Sonego, Head of the Italian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Central European Initiative (CEI), said as he met with members of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus on 25 November.
Lodovico Sonego thanked the Belarusian side for the warm welcome and noted that the program of his visit includes meetings with representatives of government agencies. “This is a step towards the cooperation that we will be developing with Belarus during the important period of this country's presidency of the Central European Initiative. We were pleased to receive the news that your country will preside over the CEI in 2017,” the Italian MP said.
Lodovico Sonego noted that Italy is one of the founding members of the CEI. It has its own view on foreign policy, and it has been holding it for many years already. “Even before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Italy believed that it was necessary to develop cooperation and collaboration across borders. The main idea was that national, political and cultural differences should not hamper cooperation. Those factors led to the establishment of the CEI. Italy will continue to follow these principles in its work in this organization,” the MP said.
For his part, Andrei Rybak, Chairman of the Standing Commission of the House of Representatives for Industry, Fuel and Energy Sector, Transport and Communications, said that Belarus' presidency of the CEI will contribute to the development of interparliamentary cooperation and intensification of ties among stakeholders. The Belarusian MP pointed out that Italy is an important political player in Europe, and it performs a special role in the CEI. Given these facts and the upcoming presidency of the CEI, Belarus is eager to maintain a dialogue with this country in different fields. Andrei Rybak paid special attention to the prospects for cooperation in real economy, transport and logistics.
Italy's Ambassador to Belarus Stefano Bianchi also attended the meeting. He said that parliamentary diplomacy is very important for the relations between the two friendly countries as it helps maintain a positive dialogue in difficult times. Stefano Bianchi noted that Belarus holds a firm position in the CEI and is a full-fledged member of the organization. “The presidency of the CEI will serve to highlight the role of your country,” he added.
The Central European Initiative is a regional organization founded in 1989 by Italy, Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia. Today the CEI unites 18 countries (Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine). Belarus joined the CEI in 1996.
