MINSK, 10 September (BelTA) – The House of Representatives of Belarus counts for better political relationship with the European Parliament, Chairman of the House of Representatives Permanent Commission for International Affairs and Links with the CIS Sergei Maskevich said as he met with European parliamentarian Viktor Uspaskich on 10 September. The Belarusian MP believes the relations between Belarus and the European Parliament are tense, “there is no mutual understanding that would meet the level of economic cooperation” between Belarus and the European region. “The level of political cooperation is not enough for the development of economic relations,” the chairman of the commission stressed. Sergei Maskevich named the visit of the European parliamentarian momentous and significant. He hopes to discuss a wide range of issues pertaining to the cooperation between Belarus and the European Union, the European Parliament as well as the development of the cooperation with Lithuania, the country Viktor Uspaskich represents. “Lithuania is a neighbor with which Belarus has recently intensified relations. The relations have become more versatile and transparent,” he said. In his words, today the two countries need strengthening the relations at the parliamentary level. “Permanent parliamentary contacts will promote cooperation between the two states,” he is confident. In turn, Viktor Uspaskich assured the Belarusian side that he is ready to support the development of cooperation with Belarus in various organizations of the European Parliament. For example, he is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group of the European Parliament with the United Stated and Eastern countries. Viktor Uspaskich said to his EUP colleagues that “if they want to have good relations with Belarus, he is a good friend of the country and is willing to assist with this. But if they want to deteriorate the relations, then they should not bother to invite him to any meetings, because he is not interested.” He is convinced that it is necessary to establish most friendly and mutually beneficial relations between Belarus and the European Parliament, Belarus and Lithuania. The most important thing, in his opinion, is to give people an opportunity to communicate freely with each other. He also noted with regret that the view from abroad on the situation in Belarus is often “perverted, shallow”. Therefore he was happy to come over to Belarus at the invitation of the House of Representatives and get familiar with the situation in the country. Viktor Uspaskich will stay in Belarus only one day, during which he plans to meet with senior official of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and visit Zhlobin and Mozyr districts, Gomel Oblast. БЕЛТА
Written by belta.by
