Events

11 Feb 2022

Vice Speaker: Belarus and Latin American countries committed to developing cooperation

Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives

MINSK, 11 February (BelTA) – Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives Valery Mitskevich, as the head of the delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus for cooperation with the Latin American Parliament, is attending the 36th General Assembly of the Latin American Parliament, which is running in Panama on 11-12 February, BelTA learned from the press service of the House of Representatives.

The main theme of the forum is the analysis of the situation in the Latin American region in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the run-up to the General Assembly, Valery Mitskevich met with Executive Secretary of PARLATINO Elias Castillo, who paid an official visit to Belarus in September 2018 as chairman of this organization.

During the conversation, the parties confirmed their commitment to developing inter-parliamentary cooperation and strengthening mutually beneficial relations between the Republic of Belarus and the states – members of the Latin American Parliament.

In his speech at the opening of the General Assembly, the vice speaker noted that Belarus and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have a common understanding of the principles of equality, social justice, and mutually beneficial economic cooperation. He stressed that the inability of the international community to jointly solve problems important for humanity poses a real threat to the life and health of people.

The situation with the coronavirus, vaccine wars, and lack of equality in access and level of vaccination in different countries only emphasize systemic problems in international relations - national egoism, eroding architecture of international security, destruction of the fundamental principles and norms of international law, the use of sanctions in violation of the UN Charter.

Belarus has consistently advocated de-escalation in world politics, immediate and decisive steps to strengthen confidence-building measures and to establish a constructive dialogue. This is the goal of the Helsinki 2 initiative put forward by the Belarusian head of state, Valery Mitskevich said. Noting the important role of parliamentary diplomacy in protecting peace and security on the planet, the vice speaker expressed hope for the support of Belarus’ unification initiatives by the parliamentarians of Latin American countries.

The vice speaker thanked the delegations of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Cuba and Peru for the active support of Belarus during the 143rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in November 2021 in Madrid.

Valery Mitskevich briefed his Latin American colleagues on the broad public campaign on the constitutional amendments in Belarus and the prospects for transforming the political system of the Belarusian state. "The right to determine the path of social and political development should belong to the people, and any transformations should take place evolutionarily, within the legal framework, without creating threats to safety of citizens and their well-being. We view this thesis as particularly important," he stressed.

The Latin American Parliament is a regional permanent organization consisting of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization was established in Lima, Peru on 10 December 1964.

Partlatino consists of the parliaments of 23 states and territories (each has 12 representatives with the right to vote): Argentina, Aruba Island, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, San Martin, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The main purpose of the Parlatino is to promote harmonization of the legislation of the Latin American countries in such areas as education, healthcare, environmental protection and the fight against drug-related crimes.

In 2016, a cooperation agreement was signed in Minsk between the National Assembly and PARLATINO, according to which the Belarusian parliament was granted the status of a permanent observer. A delegation has been formed in the National Assembly of Belarus for cooperation with the Latin American Parliament. Currently, the delegation is headed by Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Valery Mitskevich.