Belarus-Russia Inter-Foreign Ministries Consultations Held in Minsk

As was reported by Head of Information Department – Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Savinykh, Belarus-Russia inter-foreign ministries consultations have taken place in Minsk.

As was reported by Head of Information Department – Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Savinykh, Belarus-Russia inter-foreign ministries consultations have taken place in Minsk.

According to him, in Minsk on October 20^th as part of the programme aimed at concerted action of Russian and Belarusian foreign offices there were held bilateral Belarusian-Russian inter-foreign ministries consultations on the OSCE issues and cooperation with other European organizations and institutions.

The Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Head of the All-European Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Nikolai Kobrinets, the Belarusian one – by Deputy Head the Chief Directorate for Europe – Head of the All-European Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Roman Romanovsky.

During the consultations, the parties exchanged their views on a wide range of issues concerning cooperation between Belarus and Russia within the OSCE framework.

In particular, they considered the progress of the OSCE reformation and promotion of joint initiatives aimed at completion of the international legal registration of the status as an organization and at higher accountability and equilibrium in the work of the OSCE executive powers.

Special attention was paid to the progress of preparations for the forthcoming meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OSCE member countries (Vilnius, 6^th-7^th December 2011) and harmonization of the positions re its agenda’s content, draft documents and resolutions of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

The parties also discussed various aspects of cooperation with other European organizations and structures, including the European Union.