MINSK, 3 September (BelTA) – Chairman of the Council of the Republic Mikhail Myasnikovich suggested scaling up cooperation between the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly (IPA) as he met with President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Gabriela Cuevas Barron at the Council of the Republic headquarters on 3 September, BelTA has learned.
“I believe that two such big consortia could collaborate more actively. I say that because we are actively involved in the work of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly,” Mikhail Myasnikovich said.
“The Belarusian parliament is certainly working on the topical issues of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and all the initiatives put forward by international organizations, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations,” Mikhail Myasnikovich said.
Gabriela Cuevas Barron also emphasized the importance of building contacts between the IPU member states and the CIS IPA. She deems it necessary to involve national parliaments in the everyday activities of the organization.
Mikhail Myasnikovich gave his take on the role of the IPU. “We understand that the decisions taken by the union are not binding for national parliaments. However, there can be some second-tier documents, some roadmaps that could encourage national parliaments to take decisions based on the documents of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,” he noted. Gabriela Cuevas Barron agreed that it is important to move on and draft roadmaps that set out detailed guidelines for implementing international agreements and instruments at a local level.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko noted that Belarusian MPs set great store by cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union. “We take part in virtually all assemblies. The organization plays an important role in promoting parliamentarism. We are closely following thematic publications that offer comparative analyses of the work of parliaments. Many recommendations are of great value for the Belarusian parliamentarism,” he said. Such a communication form as the World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments is of interest, too. These important forums help boost cooperation between the UN agencies and national parliaments.
“In our view, we should focus on addressing one of the fundamental tasks of the Inter-Parliamentary Union – to bring together national parliaments with a view to strengthening international peace and security,” Vladimir Andreichenko said.
