CSTO PA urged to be more proactive in model lawmaking

MINSK, 15 May (BelTA) -The CSTO Parliamentary Assembly needs to move away from the defensive agenda in model lawmaking, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Standing Commission and the Expert and Advisory Council at the CSTO PA Council Anatoly Vyborny told the media, BelTA has learned.

The MP stressed that the CSTO is the only organization in the post-Soviet space that considers defense and security issues as the single and indivisible category. The CSTO PA has been set up to develop model acts with a view to their subsequent integration into the national legislation of the member states "so that the presidents, the supreme commanders of our states, could make decisions on defense and security matters within the framework of one legal parlance," he said.

Minsk hosted a meeting between the members of the lower house of the Belarusian Parliament, members of the Expert and Advisory Council, and officials and researchers of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Research (BISR). “We paid special attention to the development of model legislation, especially in terms of information and analytical support and scientifically based analysis and forecasting of threats that we may face today and in the foreseeable future. We are convinced that we need to move away from the defensive agenda in terms of model lawmaking. We must be proactive, taking into account the challenges and threats," Anatoly Vyborny said.

In particular, he mentioned the frenetic sanctions policy, NATO's activity near the borders of the CSTO member states, the situation in Ukraine and, in general, the growing tension in the international arena.

"For example, such threats include the involvement of our citizens, including minors, in various kinds of extremist, terrorist organizations. We must ensure that the model acts that we adopt in the CSTO PA could be quickly integrated into national legislations," the Russian MP gave an example.

In general, the Chairman of the Expert Advisory Council emphasized the great effectiveness of model legislation.

The executive secretary - the head of the CSTO PA Secretariat Sergei Pospelov concurred with Anatoly Vyborny. "Model laws subsequently become part of the national legislation of our countries. It is important that at the stage of lawmaking, we already build horizontal ties in working with experts who are carriers of the knowledge that becomes laws. Such expert meetings are an example of how this work should be done," he told reporters following the event at the BISR.

For example, the updated National Security Concept of Belarus reflects the model act of the OSCE PA concerning the protection of electoral sovereignty. In general, the task of MPS is not to deal with the consequences, but to anticipate promising model laws that are needed to move forward. For example, in 2019 proposals were voiced in terms of medical and biological safety. Today work is underway on model acts on information security issues, in the use of artificial intelligence.

As BelTA has reported, the Secretariat of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Research (BISR) have signed an agreement on interaction and cooperation.

BISR Director Oleg Makarov thanked MPs for many years of work in law making. Although the BISR team is rather young, the experts of the institute together with their colleagues from law enforcement bodies and heads of regional higher educational institutions have been taking part in the Expert and Advisory Council at the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly for many years.

“This is very important and effective work. We see how responsibly, actively and quickly both MPs and the leadership of the CSTO PA secretariat respond to the challenges that modern reality brings about,” Oleg Makarov said.

In his words, the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly is an example of an international platform where the parties can openly defend their national interests on the principles of cooperation. It is also important in terms of implementation of legislation.