MINSK, 2 April (BelTA) – People's problems should always be in focus of senators' work, Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova said at the opening of the fifth session of the upper chamber of Belarus' parliament of the seventh convocation on 2 April, BelTA has learned.
“The Council of the Republic always improves forms and methods of its work and tests new areas. For example, extended-participation on-site sessions of the Presidium of the Council of the Republic are a good practice,” Natalya Kochanova noted. “The session in Minsk State Linguistic University was dedicated to promotion of patriotism among students amid modern challenges. The administration of Moskovsky District of Minsk hosted a session to take stock of the work with appeals from legal entities and citizens in 2020,” she said.
The Council of the Republic will continue meeting in this format, Natalya Kochanova noted. “Plans are in place to consider the development of the vocational education system, ways to improve military training for the Armed Forces and ways to increase effectiveness of using intellectual potential to ensure sustainable social and economic development. In addition, we actively use the capacities of the scientific advisory board at the Presidium of the Council of the Republic,” she stressed. “In November 2020, senators discussed cluster development prospects in Belarus using the example of the petrochemical cluster in Novopolotsk, adopted recommendations for legal support for clusters and financing of innovative projects and human resource policies in the field of cluster management. At its upcoming session, the scientific advisory board will discuss problems of personnel training for high-technology sectors of the economy and fins solutions to them,” she added.
As the chamber of territorial representation, the Council of the Republic pays close attention to regional development. In compliance with the tasks set by the head of state, senators take part in price monitoring in retail chains and in community outreach efforts.
“Since the beginning of 2021, we have held more than 500 meetings with staff of enterprises, university students, and residents of various parts of Belarus. Senators hosted more than 160 personal receptions of citizens that were attended by 640 people and considered more than 1,600 appeals. However, the statistics are much less important than results. Many people had their problems solved thanks to personal involvement of senators. We should remember that people's problems should always be high on our agenda. Attentive and sympathetic attitude to people and assistance with minor problems change people's views about the authorities and raise the level of trust in them,” Natalya Kochanova added.
