Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 27 November (BelTA) - Belarus is interested in developing relations with Moldova in various venues, Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives Boleslav Pirshtuk said as he met with Deputy Chairman of the Moldovan Parliament Vladimir Vitiuc, BelTA has learned.

Boleslav Pirshtuk, in particular, noted that in November 2017 Belarus and Moldova celebrated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. During this time the countries have developed a certain framework of cooperation. According to the vice speaker, the two countries effectively cooperate in international organizations and Belarus is interested in their future development, including in the CIS and, in the light of its membership, in the Eurasian Economic Union. “Unfortunately, Moldova did not attend the session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held in Minsk in July. We hosted such a large-scale event for the first time, and, in the view of our fellow MPs, everything went quite well,” Boleslav Pirshtuk said.

In addition, Boleslav Pirshtuk opined that Belarus and Moldova should do more to bolster trade. “In the past two years, we slowed down a bit, lost momentum in import and export. But I am sure that our potential is much higher than the figures in statistics today,” he added.

For his part, Vladimir Vitiuc drew attention to the fact that in the first half of 2017 Belarus and Moldova observed a 10% increase in the economic indicators of bilateral cooperation. “There are a lot of reserves and the areas which we can tap into. These include primarily agriculture, viticulture, transport,” the vice speaker believes. The friendship groups set up in the parliaments of the two countries play an important role in the development of cooperation.

The parliamentary delegation of Moldova and representatives of 12 more countries will take part in the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Central European Initiative in Minsk on 28 November. The general theme of the CEI Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Minsk is digital technologies in terms of ensuring geopolitical security. Belarus presides in the Central European Initiative (CEI) in 2017.