Belarus, Cuba urged to intensify cooperation in international arena

Chairman of the Standing Committee on International Affairs and National Security of the Council of the Republic Sergei Rachkov met with the parliamentary delegation of the Republic of Cuba on the sidelines of the 147th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Luanda, Angola, on 25 October, BelTA learned from the press service of the upper house of parliament.

The proposal to hold the meeting was put forward by Chair of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova during the videoconference with President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Juan Esteban Lazo Hernandez. The meeting marks the beginning of the effective implementation of the cooperation agreement between the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the National Assembly of People's Power of the Republic of Cuba that was signed on 19 October during the above-mentioned meeting.

Article 5 of the agreement stipulates that the parties shall take steps to intensify contacts in the international arena. Thus, meetings and consultations will be held within the framework of such international parliamentary organizations as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Latin American Parliament and the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as at international forums, conferences and seminars. Cuba has pledged to help Belarus establish and develop contacts with parliamentary organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean, while Belarus will assist Cuba in promoting its interests in the Eurasian space.

During the meeting, parliamentarians compared notes on the main issues on the Assembly's agenda, draft resolutions of standing committees, and issues included as an emergency item. They also thrashed out approaches to the global agenda, discussed candidates for the position of the IPU head, the election of chairs of standing committees, and the jurisdiction of the IPU structures.

Sergei Rachkov pointed to the serious potential for strengthening contacts between Belarus and Cuba in the international arena. International parliamentary platforms have begun to be used to attack sovereign states; parliamentarians are subject to discrimination and sanctions. Thus, Belarus seeks to expand interaction with Cuba in the Inter-Parliamentary Union in order to respond to unfriendly moves.

One of the key talking points was the development of contacts with countries and parliamentary organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean. A proposal was put forward to join forces with Cuban parliamentarians to strengthen contacts with the Latin American Parliament.

“The interaction with these constructive parliamentary structures can help us further the mutually beneficial cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect and consideration of each other's interests,” the senator emphasized.

Following negotiations with Chairman of the International Relations Commission of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Rolando Miguel González Patricio, an agreement was reached to hold an online meeting of the international affairs commissions of the parliaments of Belarus and Cuba in November to develop an inter-parliamentary cooperation roadmap.