Events

MINSK, 26 January (BelTA) – The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) will consider granting observer status to the Belarusian parliament in Hamburg in summer, BelTA learned from Valery Voronetsky, Chairman of the Permanent Commission for International Affairs of the House of Representatives.

“We will be invited to attend the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Hamburg in summer. I think that the BSPC will continue the dialogue on possible granting of observer status to the Belarusian parliament,” Valery Voronetsky said.

Earlier this week, the Belarusian official attended a meeting of the BSPC Standing Committee in Brussels. He briefed the participants on the situation in Belarus, the results of the parliamentary elections, and Belarus’ eagerness to step up the cooperation with the countries of the Baltic Sea region.

Valery Voronetsky pointed out that Belarus is an integral part of the Baltic region. “We have considerable interests in this region, primarily in economic cooperation, power engineering, environmental protection, nuclear safety, migration, security, healthcare, education and culture,” he said. The cooperation should be expanded to include a parliamentary aspect, Valery Voronetsky believes.

The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference includes representatives of the parliaments of eleven countries, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Germany, Denmark, Iceland and five interparliamentary organizations (the Baltic Assembly, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Nordic Council).