MINSK, 8 September (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has held a working meeting with Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova, BelTA has learned.
“You communicate a lot with the public (including through calls-in and meetings in person), what do people say? I have also met a lot with people lately. Maybe people do not tell me as much as they tell you, so this is very important,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
The head of state inquired about the current activities of the Council of the Republic and the short-term plans of the upper chamber of parliament.
The president also recalled that an expert council operates under the Council of the Republic. “In your opinion, what do we need to do in order to improve the legislative process in our country?” he asked.
Natalya Kochanova, in turn, thanked the head of state for the opportunity to discuss pressing issues.
Natalya Kochanova told reporters that one of the topics of her meeting with the president was the work with appeals from the public. “People are at the heart of our policy. And we really do care about people's needs and concerns,” she noted. “The appeals that we get cover a broad range of topics but we have built a general picture of the public sentiment. People appreciate their country. It is true. Seeing what is happening in the world, they probably see the developments in our country in a slightly different way now. We ensure food security, there are peace and tranquility on our streets. Of course, people appreciate it,” Natalya Kochanova said.
Some of the issues raised with senators should be dealt with by local authorities. And the Council of the Republic keeps this matter under control, Natalya Kochanova said. If something needs to be fixed at the legislative level, parliamentarians take note of it.
“This feedback from people is very important for us: we understand what issues are most pressing for a particular region. We take this on board in our work,” said the chairperson of the upper house of parliament.
The expert council under the Council of the Republic includes a wide range of specialists who study documents. In other words, potential legislative acts go through a serious expert filter. “Only 27% of 131 documents submitted to our expert council were adopted immediately. The rest were sent back with remarks or were rejected as premature,” said Natalya Kochanova.
