MINSK, 4 September (BelTA) – Chairman of the Georgian Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze plans to pay a visit to Belarus in November 2017, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Belarus’ National Assembly Vladimir Andreichenko said during a meeting with Georgian Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikheil Janelidze on 4 September, BelTA has learned.
According to Vladimir Andreichenko, the preparations for the official visit are underway. Irakli Kobakhidze is expected to stay in Belarus from 20 to 22 November. The Belarusian speaker added that it is necessary to draw up an agreement on interparliamentary cooperation for the visit. He expressed hope that the Georgian delegation will comprise representatives of the business community, ministries, and government bodies and agencies. Belarus is arranging some meetings and business forums to bring them together with Belarusian colleagues. Experience has shown that all these things help expand cooperation between countries.
Vladimir Andreichenko also pointed to the positive dynamics in Belarus-Georgia trade and economic cooperation. It started to grow in 2016, when bilateral trade reached $73 million, which was up 63% from 2015. In H1 2017 this number totaled $53 million, up 28% from the same period a year prior. According to Vladimir Andreichenko, a lot of work has been done to develop the legal framework of the bilateral relations. Moreover, Belarus opened an embassy in Georgia in 2016. The Belarusian speaker commended the effective work of the ambassadors. MPs make a fair contribution, too: working groups on cooperation have been set up at both parliaments.
The two countries also aspire to strengthen political cooperation in the OSCE PA, in the Inter-Parliamentary Union, in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, and other organizations.