The Belarusian parliamentary delegation led by Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova continues the official visit to the People's Republic of China. The agenda of the visit is very packed and focused on specific projects to promote cooperation between Belarus and China. Natalya Kochanova talked to the media and summed up the preliminary results of the visit.
"This visit is very significant for us, parliamentarians," the speaker said. “At the invitation of Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji, we have paid an official visit to China. This visit is also important because we held the first meeting of the High-Level Interparliamentary Cooperation Committee of Belarus and China. We discussed areas of cooperation in all areas. This applies primarily to the legislative framework of the relations between our countries, joint participation in international organizations, and upholding the interests of our countries in the international arena. We discussed issues of the economy and socioeconomic development. We paid attention to the humanitarian ties: education, healthcare, culture, and the preservation of our national traditions. The range of issues that were discussed was quite wide."
“The SCO and BRICS are powerful organizations, some of the leading ones in the world, so we are grateful to China for supporting Belarus in its determination to become a full member of these organizations. From July this year, China will preside over the SCO. In this regard, we are ready to support possible initiatives of the Chinese side, including the creation of a parliamentary dimension of the organization,” added Natalya Kochanova.
In addition to taking part in a number of official meetings, members of the Belarusian parliamentary delegation toured a number of social facilities in China. In particular, Natalya Kochanova visited Beijing Chaoyang Hospital. Healthcare is one of cooperation priorities for Belarus and China, the speaker remarked. A testimony to that is that Belarus’ Healthcare Minister Aleksandr Khodzhayev was part of the parliamentary delegation.
"This visit is very significant for us, parliamentarians," the speaker said. “At the invitation of Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji, we have paid an official visit to China. This visit is also important because we held the first meeting of the High-Level Interparliamentary Cooperation Committee of Belarus and China. We discussed areas of cooperation in all areas. This applies primarily to the legislative framework of the relations between our countries, joint participation in international organizations, and upholding the interests of our countries in the international arena. We discussed issues of the economy and socioeconomic development. We paid attention to the humanitarian ties: education, healthcare, culture, and the preservation of our national traditions. The range of issues that were discussed was quite wide."
Natalya Kochanova stated that Belarus is proud and values its friendship with China. "For more than three decades, we have developed our close relationships in all sectors. Most importantly, we are mentally close. In China, I felt how similar our approaches in domestic and foreign policies are," the Speaker of the Council of the Republic emphasized.
"The internal policy of our countries is based on people’s interests and needs. In our countries, we are doing everything to ensure that our people live comfortable and prosperous lives. Improving the well-being of the population is the main focus of our domestic policy," Natalya Kochanova said. We have absolutely the same approaches to foreign policy. The pillars of this policy are commitment to peace, sovereignty, independence, non-interference in internal affairs of other countries and, of course, advancement of a multipolar world order. Despite the developments around us - attempts to pressure us with sanctions and interfere in internal affairs - we should and we will jointly defend the interests of our countries. We have come to a very warm welcome to China. Chinese people have great respect for our country, our people, and our president. And, of course, we are proud that we have maintained such good relations with the People’s Republic of China throughout almost the entire history of independent Belarus,” she said.
Regional and international organizations, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), play an important role in today’s geopolitics. During the visit, the Belarusian delegation thanked China for consistently helping Belarus on its way to become a full-fledged member of the SCO.
Regional and international organizations, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), play an important role in today’s geopolitics. During the visit, the Belarusian delegation thanked China for consistently helping Belarus on its way to become a full-fledged member of the SCO.
In addition to taking part in a number of official meetings, members of the Belarusian parliamentary delegation toured a number of social facilities in China. In particular, Natalya Kochanova visited Beijing Chaoyang Hospital. Healthcare is one of cooperation priorities for Belarus and China, the speaker remarked. A testimony to that is that Belarus’ Healthcare Minister Aleksandr Khodzhayev was part of the parliamentary delegation.
“We saw what we can use in our healthcare system, given the fact that China makes a lot of modern medical equipment. We were also interested in the approaches of our Chinese colleagues in the informatization of medical institutions, which our Healthcare Ministry is doing today. We need to make better use of all the world's modern technologies that are available in the countries with which we cooperate. We have a lot to learn from each other,” the speaker said.
Belarus is strengthening friendship with its strategic partners, including through humanitarian projects, the speaker said. Under the patronage of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, children from friendly countries receive recuperation in Belarus every year. This year our country will host children from Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Syria, and Uzbekistan.
During the official visit, Natalya Kochanova confirmed Belarus’ readiness to accept Chinese children for recuperation at the National Children's Educational and Recreational Center Zubrenok in accordance with the proposal made to China earlier.
“We traditionally invite children to Belarus for recuperation holidays, especially in summer, when children can have fun, admire the beauty of our country. That is why I once again suggested our Chinese friends to consider the possibility of children's recuperation in Belarus. After all, friendship between the youth, the younger generation is the key to successful cooperation between our countries in the future,” the speaker of the Council of the Republic said.
BelTA, photos by the Council of the Republic
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