MINSK, 26 May (BelTA) – The meeting of Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko with Belarusian MPs, members of the Constitutional Commission and representatives of the government bodies is underway in the Oval Hall of the House of the Government, BelTA has learned.
On 25 May, Belarusian MPs adopted an address to the president to introduce a bill to the House of Representatives on amending the Constitution, which provides for the simultaneous holding of elections to the local councils of deputies of the 29th convocation and to the House of Representatives of the 8th convocation. Later, Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko and Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova met to discuss topical items on the agenda of the two chambers and decided to ask Aleksandr Lukashenko to make a speech before the parliamentarians.
“The president accepted the proposal of MPs and members of the Constitutional Commission who made a request to organize a meeting to discuss topical and pending issues. The meeting is expected to take place at the parliament building tomorrow. It will be attended by not only MPs and senators but also by members of the Constitutional Commission and the government, representatives of other public organizations, governors. Apart from that, the meeting will bring together people shaping public opinion – political experts, sociologists, heads of mass media outlets, journalists, scientists, bloggers,” Press Secretary of the Belarus President Natalya Eismont said.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko said at the start of the meeting that there is a difficult situation around Belarus today. “The so-called collective West, in violation of the basic principles and norms of international law, is making another attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of Belarus. The goal is obvious, which is, under the slogan of democracy, to deprive the Belarusian people of the right to determine their own path of development, to destroy the country, turning it into a springboard for the implementation of selfish geopolitical goals. The head of state has repeatedly warned us about this,” he said.
The speaker stressed that MPs, as well as all patriotically-minded forces in society, cannot tolerate such a state of affairs. “There is a need to work out adequate response measures to protect the sovereignty and independence of the country. Being aware of the attention Aleksandr Grigorievich [Lukashenko] pays to the National Assembly of Belarus, the heads of the parliamentary chambers asked him to meet with MPs and discuss topical issues of domestic and foreign policy. Let me on behalf of all of you to thank the president for agreeing to this meeting. Our format implies an open discussion. If you have questions, you will have the opportunity to ask them,” he said.
Then Vladimir Andreichenko invited the head of state to speak.
