MINSK, 14 October (BelTA) - We are not afraid of any sanctions, the truth is on our side, Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova told the media on 14 October, BelTA has learned.
“Indeed, they are already preparing a fifth package of sanctions against our country. Today, speaking at the plenary session, I said that it is wrong to interfere in the internal affairs of the country. It should not be like this. You know that our MPs have signed numerous appeal to international organizations asking to let us live and develop on our own. We do not need to be instructed from the outside. The most unpleasant thing in this situation is when our dishonest compatriots who self-exiled abroad call for sanctions today. Sanctions against whom? Against their own people, against labor collectives, against the people who live and work in this country, creating benefits and developing their country sovereign and independent? How can we treat this? Of course, MPs, the members of the Council of the Republic are categorically against it. After all, the deputies are backed by their constituents. We meet with labor collectives on a daily basis. People turn to us on personal matters. We can see that people want peace and tranquility in their country. We will do our best and will tell the truth about what is happening in our country so that the international community would know the true information about the processes in Belarus. Believe me, we are not afraid of any sanctions, because we understand that the truth is on our side,” Natalya Kochanova said.
The speaker emphasized that the Eurasian Women's Forum is a great platform to raise pressing issues on the agenda. “I like this platform very much. I had a chance to attend the first Eurasian Women's Forum. Today I am happy to be here, because it is a meeting of friends, an opportunity to communicate. The most important thing is to express your opinion and clearly understand that you will be heard. It is very important. So once again I would like to express my gratitude to Valentina Matviyenko for this great idea. Today it really is an informal women's movement that helps us in resolving many issues. We have the Belarusian Women's Union. Practically every organization has a women's organization. There is also a women's organization in the Council of the Republic. There are quite a lot of projects that women are working on today. This includes assistance to families bringing up children and to people with disabilities. You know that the women of Belarus united and in September 2020 in a difficult situation after the elections, we held a women's forum, which brought together 15,000 women from all over the country. Today women's organizations are engaged in political issues promoting the truth about our country,” she said.
The Belarusian parliamentary delegation headed by Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova is attending the Third Eurasian Women's Forum on 13-14 October. The theme of the forum is “Women: Global Mission in New Realities”.
The forum, which has been held since 2015, has established itself as a status international platform for discussing topical issues of the international agenda and the role of women in its implementation. The event, organized by the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of Russia and the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, gathered in St. Petersburg over 300 heads of legislative and executive authorities, international organizations, the business community, representatives of the scientific community and public organizations from 105 countries.
While maintaining continuity, the Third Eurasian Women's Forum follows the ideas of integration and development of cooperation to strengthen the role of women in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and to form new approaches to global challenges dictated by political, economic, technological, social and environmental changes.
The forum's program includes plenary sessions, strategy sessions, expert and discussion platforms, including with opinion leaders, parity discussions, public-private dialogues and business dialogues, foresight sessions, webinars and business breakfasts. Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in its opening ceremony. Natalya Kochanova spoke at the plenary session “Women's Mission in the Development of Peace and Trust Diplomacy”.
