Speaker of the Mazhilis visited the Republic of Belarus on an official visit
February 5, Minsk. Chairman of the Mazhilis Yerlan Koshanov paid an official visit to the Republic of Belarus. In Minsk, he met with President Alexander Lukashenko, Head of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly Igor Sergeenko and Chairman of the Council of the Republic Natalia Kochanova. The sides stressed the high level of bilateral relations and discussed the prospects for expanding interparliamentary cooperation.
At the meeting with the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Yerlan Koshanov conveyed warm greetings and good wishes from the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, emphasizing the deep historical connection between the two peoples. He emphasized that thanks to trusting political contacts between the heads of the two states, Kazakh-Belarusian relations have reached the level of strategic partnership today. A direct result of this is the high dynamics of cooperation in trade, economic, production, agriculture, transport and other spheres.
Yerlan Koshanov told the President of Belarus about the large-scale political transformations that are being implemented in Kazakhstan today at the initiative of the President. The draft of a new Constitution is widely discussed in the country, which will radically reboot the socio-political and legal architecture of the state. The final decision on the draft of the new Basic Law will be made by the citizens of the country at a national referendum.
Alexander Lukashenko conveyed his best wishes to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He noted the special role of parliamentarians in strengthening cooperation between the two countries in these difficult times, stressing that Belarus and Kazakhstan have similar views on the international agenda, being supporters of multipolarity and the development of sovereign states. The Belarusian head of state thanked Kazakhstan for supporting Belarus in joining the SCO.
The leader of Belarus noted with satisfaction the high growth rates of mutual trade with Kazakhstan, which has already exceeded $1 billion, and called for the expansion of cooperation in engineering and agriculture.
At the meeting with the Chairman of the House of Representatives Igor Sergeenko, a wide range of issues were discussed - from inter-parliamentary dialogue to economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
- Kazakhstan and Belarus are reliable strategic partners. This is always emphasized by the heads of our states. A productive political dialogue has been established between our countries. Cooperation ties in industry, mechanical engineering and the agricultural sector are expanding. The parliaments of the two countries also make a great contribution to the dynamic development of bilateral relations formed between our deputies, — said the Speaker of the Mazhilis.
In turn, Igor Sergeenko said that Kazakhstan has always been and will be a time-tested friend, strategic partner and ally for Belarus. He noted that for Minsk, as well as for Astana, the priority is to promote a constructive, unifying agenda at all international platforms.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives highly appreciated the course of reforms carried out in Kazakhstan, and stressed that Belarusian deputies are carefully studying Kazakhstan's experience of lawmaking in various fields.
The speakers paid special attention to the work of parliaments in the field of digitalization. The Chairman of the Mazhilis said that the President has set the task of turning Kazakhstan into a digital state in the next three years. In this regard, the deputies have developed and have already entered into force the Digital Code and the Law on Artificial Intelligence. The International AI Center, the Astana Hub technopark, and the most powerful supercomputer in Central Asia are actively operating in Astana.
Following the meeting, the deputies agreed to continue the exchange of legislative experience, strengthen cooperation within the framework of inter-parliamentary organizations, as well as through friendship groups, relevant committees and parliamentary staffs.
Yerlan Koshanov also discussed the development of partnership between the legislative bodies of the two countries with the Chairman of the Council of the Republic Natalia Kochanova.
– Our inter-parliamentary relations are developing dynamically. Thanks to personal contacts, mutual trust and respect are strengthening. We closely cooperate within the framework of inter-parliamentary organizations. A good practice of mutual support of each other's initiatives has been established. We intend to continue to expand our traditional interaction within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the IPA CIS, the parliamentary assemblies of the CSTO and the OSCE, – the Speaker of the Mazhilis said.
A productive dialogue took place on expanding parliamentary support for cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries, implementing joint projects for young people, strengthening bilateral cooperation in the development of industrial cooperation, in the fields of tourism and innovation.
At meetings in the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly, Yerlan Koshanov told the Belarusian deputies about the constitutional reform being carried out in Kazakhstan. He emphasized that the draft of the new Constitution significantly strengthens the powers of the Kazakh Parliament, expands public participation in politics and enshrines the formula "Strong President – Influential Parliament – Accountable Government".
Deputies of the Mazhilis laid flowers at the Victory Monument, visited the «BELAZ» plant and the Khatyn State Memorial Complex, where they honored the memory of the victims of the Second World War.