Savinykh: African nations interested in experience of the Union State as union of sovereign countries

The African countries are interested in the experience of the Union State as a union of sovereign and equal states. Chairman of the Standing Committee of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus on Foreign Affairs, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia Andrei Savinykh said this at the international parliamentary conference "Russia - Africa" in Moscow.

Andrei Savinykh stressed that Belarus is present at this conference as a full participant. "We are here to present our position on the processes taking place in the world. Africa is now becoming a region that draws attention of virtually the entire world. Everyone agrees that in the next decade it will become the fastest growing region," he said.

According to Andrei Savinykh, the conference is attended by delegations from more than 40 African states, about 70 speakers of parliament. "They all say that African countries need to finally put an end to the practice of neocolonialism, that the collapse of the colonial system did not really happen, because these states were enslaved by economic, financial and trade mechanisms. And they are now looking for new partnerships, new opportunities to ensure their socio-economic development. And to a large extent, they see the Union State as a model for development, when sovereign independent states unite to form a union, build a harmonious, fair policy, help and support each other, and stimulate social and economic growth. We discussed this very experience, which becomes extremely interesting for African countries, "- said the parliamentarian.

Savinykh: African countries are interested in the experience of the Union State as a union of sovereign nations.

The Belarusian delegation also uses this conference for bilateral contacts. "I have already had meetings with the delegations of Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and Kenya. We discussed the bilateral agenda, the relevant issues of bilateral interaction. I think it's a great opportunity to see so many delegations in one place and give an impetus to the bilateral relations with the states of the African continent," said Andrei Savinykh.

He expressed confidence that Belarus and African countries will develop ties. "Contacts will continue. Meetings of this kind certainly lead to the organization of bilateral visits, exchange of delegations. We invite African delegations to participate in our major international economic exhibitions. We talk about the need to intensify the inter-parliamentary cooperation in order to develop the treaty base of bilateral relations. And this always implies meetings, exchange visits, participation in joint events," said Andrei Savinykh.