26th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Minsk

MINSK, 4 July (BelTA) – Parliamentary groups of friendship make a considerable contribution to bilateral ties, Mikhail Myasnikovich, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, said as he met with Stefana Miladinovic, Serbian MP, Head of the Serbian Delegation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, in Minsk on 4 July, BelTA has learned.

Mikhail Myasnikovich highlighted some effective mechanisms of interparliamentary cooperation, groups of friendship among them. He said that some believe that this format is outdated and is not effective enough. “I should say that they are not right, because groups of friendship bring a certain order to this effort and streamline this work,” the speaker noted.

He emphasized the contribution of Dragomir Karic, Honorary Consul of Belarus in Serbia chairing the group for Serbian-Belarusian friendship in the National Assembly of Serbia, to the development of the bilateral relations. “It is vastly thanks to his efforts that our trade, investment collaboration, cooperation in science and technology are actively growing stronger,” Mikhail Myasnikovich pointed out.

He also noted that it is important to establish ties between regions, twinning relations between regions and cities.

For her part, Stefana Miladinovic said it is a great pleasure for her to be in Belarus. She added that she is glad that in the coming days she will participate in international political events in the Belarusian capital.

The Serbian MP echoed Mikhail Myasnikovich’s opinion that groups of friendship make a very important contribution to bilateral relations. She emphasized that the working group on cooperation with Belarus is one of the biggest ones in the National Assembly of Serbia. “Parliamentary groups of friendship are not an outdated format. We need to strengthen our relations at all levels, including the legislative one,” Stefana Miladinovic noted.

She believes that apart from economic ties, it is also important to pay attention to cooperation in culture, and step up interaction in sports, given that both Belarus and Serbia are sport-loving nations.

The National Assembly of Belarus has over 70 groups of friendship with foreign parliaments. The working group for cooperation with the Serbian parliament is headed by Andrei Belyakov, Deputy Chairman of the Standing Commission for Education, Science, Culture, and Social Development of the Council of the Republic.