Belarus ready for cooperation with PACE observation mission

         Belarus is ready to provide necessary assistance to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko said at a meeting with the PACE mission. According to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Electoral Code of Belarus meets international standards. The recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights were taken into account when amendments were introduced in it. In his words, the parliament is ready to take into account every remarks and recommendations from international observers to make necessary amendments into the election law. There is every indication that the observers will make an objective conclusion after the election, he pointed out: (record)

        “Belarus is ready to provide necessary assistance to the observation mission of the Parliamentary Assembly in fulfilling its mandate. We want your work to contribute to the transparent character of the election in Belarus, and we are interested in an objective conclusion after the elections, as there are necessary grounds for that. Belarus has always stayed committed to the implementation of international obligations. We will make every effort to hold the election in an open, free and democratic manner.”

      As was earlier informed, the PACE delegation should have been led by Armenian MP Arpine Hovhannisyan. However, on 4 September she was appointed as Armenia’s Minister of Justice and, thus, will not be able to visit the Belarusian capital.