Majilis speaker Koshanov meets Belarusian leader, top officials

During the talks, the sides confirmed the high level of bilateral relations and discussed prospects for expanding interparliamentary cooperation.

Koshanov conveyed President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s warm greetings and best wishes to Alexander Lukashenko, highlighting the long-standing historical ties between both nations. The Majilis speaker noted that thanks to trusted political contacts between the heads of state, Kazakh-Belarusian relations have risen to a strategic partnership, resulting in the high-paced cooperation in trade-economic, manufacturing, agricultural, transport, and other fields.

The Belarusian head of state was briefed on the ongoing major political transformations in Kazakhstan at the initiative of the president. Koshanov said that the draft of the new Constitution, which is set to fundamentally reboot the socio-political and legal architecture of the state, is being widely discussed nationwide. The final decision on the draft of the new Basic Law will be made by the citizens of the country at a nationwide referendum, he added.

Alexander Lukashenko, for his part, extended his warmest wishes to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The Belarusian leader pointed out the special role of parliamentarians in strengthening cooperation between the two countries during these challenging times, stressing that Kazakhstan and Belarus share similar views on the international agenda, being supporters of multipolarity and the development of sovereign states. President Lukashenko thanked Kazakhstan for its support of Belarus’s accession to the SCO.

The Belarusian leader said he is pleased with the high growth rates of mutual trade with Kazakhstan, surpassing the one billion US dollars mark, and urged to expand cooperation in mechanical engineering and agriculture.

While meeting with Chairman of the House of Representatives Igor Segeenko, the sides discussed a wide range of issues - from interparliamentary dialogue to economic and cultural cooperation.

Sergeyenko stated that Kazakhstan has always been and will remain a time-tested friend, strategic partner, and ally of Belarus, saying that ‘a priority is promoting a constructive and unifying agenda at all international platforms.’

The Chairman of the House of Representatives lauded the course of reforms being carried out in Kazakhstan and said that Belarusian deputies are carefully studying Kazakhstan’s experience in legislative work across a wide range of fields.

The speakers placed special attention to the work of parliaments in the field of digitalization, with Koshanov stating that the President has set the task of turning Kazakhstan into a digital state within the next three years.

Following the meeting, the sides agreed to continue exchanging legislative experience, strengthen cooperation within interparliamentary organizations, as well as through friendship groups, relevant committees, and parliamentary administrations.

A meeting between Majilis Speaker Koshanov and Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova focused on developing partnership between the legislative bodies of the two countries.

Koshanov expressed Kazakhstan's intent to continue expanding the traditional cooperation within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the IPA CIS, and the parliamentary assemblies of the CSTO and the OSCE.

As part of the visit, the Majilis deputies laid flowers at the Victory Monument, visited the BELAZ plant, and the Khatyn State Memorial Complex, honoring the memory of the World War II victims.

Earlier, Qazinform reported Majilis deputy and Chairman of the Respublica party Aidarbek Khojanazarov has proposed enshrining the status of the national currency in the draft of Kazakhstan’s new Constitution.