NUCLEAR POWER IN BELARUS AND WORLDWIDE
MINSK, 25 January (BelTA) - The MPs passed a bill "On the termination of the agreement between the government of the Republic of Belarus and the government of the French Republic on cooperation in culture, education, science and technology, and mass media" at the ninth session of the House of Representatives of the seventh convocation, BelTA informs.
The bill has been submitted to the House of Representatives by the Council of Ministers.
The agreement was signed in Paris on 20 January 2010, ratified by the Law of Belarus of 2 December 2010 and entered into force on 31 July 2011.
In accordance with Article 14 of the agreement, it is concluded for five years and automatically extended for the same period, unless either party notifies the other party in writing of its intention to amend or terminate it no later than three months before it expires.
The bill was presented by Culture Minister Anatoly Markevich. According to him, over the past few years France has shown no interest in bilateral contacts within the framework of this agreement. Such interaction between the appropriate ministries is practically non-existent. It makes no sense to continue cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the agreement, he noted.
The bill proposes to terminate the agreement on the basis of article 62, paragraphs 1, 2, of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 23 May 1969, which provides for the termination of an international treaty in the event of a fundamental change of circumstances which has occurred with regard to those existing at the time of the conclusion of a treaty.
According to the second paragraph of the fifth part of article 44 of the Law "On International Treaties of the Republic of Belarus", a decision to terminate an interstate treaty, the consent to be bound by which is expressed in the form of a law, shall be taken by the National Assembly in the form of a law.
