26th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Minsk

Draft resolution on inadmissibility of religious discrimination adopted by OSCE PA committee
The draft resolution on the inadmissibility of religious discrimination and intolerance towards Christians, Muslims, and followers of other religions was suggested by Russia. The Russian senator Lyudmila Narusova is the main author of the document...

Kyrgyzstan interested in Belarus’ experience of OSCE PA session organization
"An autumn session will take place in Bishkek in 2018 so a working group has arrived as part of our country’s delegation to study how our Belarusian colleagues had prepared for this important political event. You have set the bar high and we will try to keep up”...

OSCE MPs discuss traditional family values in Minsk
The meeting in Minsk gathered members of the parliaments of Russia, the USA (republicans), Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Austria, Greece, and a representative of the Vatican in the OSCE. It was the first time Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) Roberto Montella had been present at the lunch...

Belarus-sponsored amendments included in resolution of OSCE PA political affairs committee
Specifically, the draft resolution will include a paragraph on the structured dialogue on the current and future security challenges and threats in the OSCE region. The dialogue launched in April 2017 is now a key process in the OSCE aimed at restoring trust between the member states, the press service said....

Canada welcomes Belarus’ role in promoting settlement of Ukrainian conflict
According to Hedy Fry, Canada takes positive note of Belarus’ achievements in human rights and democracy. Canada also commends Belarus’ role in the effort to solve the Ukrainian conflict...

U.S. delegate: Construction of nuclear power plants ought not to be politicized
“Construction of nuclear power plants ought not to be politicized. It is something that ought to be based on science,” Gwen Moore said...

Belarus’ experience in promoting gender equality presented at OSCE PA session in Minsk
Marianna Shchetkina is Belarus’ National Coordinator for SDGs. When presenting the country’s experience to the participants of the OSCE PA session, she noted that Belarus is implementing the fifth national plan of action to ensure gender equality. Marianna Shchetkina updated the MPs on the status of women in the country, who account for 53% of the population, and for 50% of those employed in the economy...

Belarus’ anti-drug resolution supported by OSCE PA
“This is a complex issue. We do understand that it will not be easy to work out common operational approaches in this field. We are glad, however, that our resolution has been supported by a majority vote. This shows that the topic is important for all the OSCE member states,” Vice Speaker of Belarus’ House of Representatives Boleslav Pirshtuk said after the resolution was submitted for consideration to the MPs...

Belarus calls for restoring trust in OSCE region through mutually respectful dialogue
“It is impossible to restore trust without a mutually respectful dialogue. Engaging all the 57 member states in this dialogue is of crucial importance. Otherwise, we run the risk of a throwback to the previous negotiation formats that bear signs of a bloc approach,” Boleslav Pirshtuk noted...

OSCE PA session in Minsk hailed as opportunity to take a different look at Belarus
"We talked with our guests yesterday and today, and I should say that many of them, the overwhelming majority, have taken a completely different look at Belarus. They saw a European country with a well-developed infrastructure and all corresponding features”...