Minsk says ‘no’ to Polish parliamentary delegation’s visit
A visit of a delegation from the Polish Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, to Belarus cannot take place because its organizers intended to hold it secretly.
MINSK – A visit of a delegation from the Polish Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, to Belarus cannot take place because its organizers intended to hold it secretly, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The question is: What positive changes could such secretive visits make to Belarusian-Polish bilateral relations if their organization obviously violates principles of mutual confidence, openness, and neighborliness?” Maria Vanshina, a spokesperson for the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, said in a commentary on the Polish Sejm’s planned visit to Belarus.
“A visit of a parliamentary delegation implies an invitation from parliamentarians of a host country – in this particular case, the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus. At the same time, Polish parliamentarians planned their visit to Belarus not only disregarding interaction with their Belarusian counterparts but failing to notify Belarus at all,” she said.
“Belarus proceeds from the commonly acceptable practice of international relations, which implies that parliaments of different countries pursue their dialogue on a mutually respectful and equal basis,” Vanshina said.