Belarusian parliamentarians spoke at OSCE PA meeting in Vienna
The Belarusian parliamentary delegation spoke at the 22nd Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna. Our country was represented by Chairman of the Standing Commission on International Affairs and National Security of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Sergei Rachkov and Chairman of the Standing Commission on International Affairs of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Andrei Savinykh.
As part of the first day of the session, a meeting of the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security was held. Andrei Savinykh presented Belarus’ position regarding the Russian-led special military operation in Ukraine, “I would like to state that the prologue to the special military operation that is currently taking place in Ukraine was NATO expansion to the east, which was accompanied by the deployment of offensive weapons. Today more than 30,000 NATO troops armed with offensive weapons are concentrated near the borders of Belarus. Belarus also remembers well the massive bombing of peaceful Serbian cities by NATO aircraft. I don’t know how else to characterise a memory that works according to the principle: I remember here, but I don’t remember here. I am sure that such a memory will not help the settlement.”
According to the deputy, statements that our region is slipping into obscurity should at least be accompanied by a recognition that the provisions of the Helsinki Document have been systematically destroyed for several decades, “How can one appeal to the provisions of the Helsinki Document if the countries of the West, primarily the NATO states, do not want to comply with its security-related cornerstone? It is impossible to provide one’s own security at the expense of the neighbour’s security.”
Andrei Savinykh also stressed the illogicality of the statement of the British MP, who proposed to exclude Belarus and Russia from the OSCE PA, “Are you so ignorant of logic that you do not understand that the departure of these two countries in reality will mean the end of any meaning for this organisation? After all, you can always have your get-together parties at NATO headquarters.”
