Ad Hoc Committee on Belarus
Working Group on Belarus visits Minsk with President Soares
MINSK, 12 March 2009 -- The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Working Group on Belarus visited Minsk from 9 to 12 March. The visit was led by PA President Joao Soares.
Members of the Working Group, chaired by Uta Zapf, Germany, are holding high-level meetings including with Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov, the Speakers of the two houses of Parliament, Vladimir Andreichenko and Boris Baturoi, the OSCE PA Delegation Headed by Valery Ivanov, and senior of Information, Ministry of Justice, as well as representatives of civil society and the international community.
The OSCE PA Delegation includes Claudio D’Amico, Italy; Morten Hoeglund, Norway; Pawel Poncyljusz, Poland; and Cecilia Wigstrom, Sweden.
In their meetings, Members of the Group stressed the importance of an open parliamentary dialogue, upholding Belarus’ commitments as a participating State of the OSCE and the need to find peaceful, inclusive solutions to the country's political problems. The Delegation discussed issues related to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and possible work by the OSCE PA on this issue. Members also discussed some of the progress being made with regard to freedom of the media but urged continued work in an open and transparent fashion in this area.
Other developments noted positively by the Delegation include the release of political prisoners, registration of some political associations and media outlets and increased crossborder contacts with European neighbors. The Delegation was disappointed to hear that some media outlets continue to face difficulties.
The OSCE PA Delegation welcomed the ongoing co-operation with the Belarusian Delegation to the OSCE PA. While in Minsk, the Working Group is also hosting a Seminar on ‘Improving the Climate for Foreign Investment’ which is being organized jointly with the Belarusian Delegation to the OSCE PA in co-operation with Germany’s Friedrich-Ebert Foundation and with the support of the OSCE Office in Minsk.