Sergeyenko to attend PAP ordinary session

A delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus led by Speaker of the House of Representatives Igor Sergeyenko is set to visit Midrand, South Africa on 4-5 November at the invitation of Chairman of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Fortune Charumbira to take part in the Fourth Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament, BelTA learned from in the House of Representatives.

For the first time in history, the Belarusian parliament will be given the opportunity to speak at the official opening ceremony of the PAP session, which is to be held on 4 November.

The National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the PAP are expected to sign a memorandum of cooperation, according to which the Belarusian parliament will be granted the status of an observer to this organization.

The program of the visit will also include meetings of Speaker of the House of Representatives Igor Sergeyenko with the leadership of the PAP, the National Assembly of South Africa, heads of parliamentary delegations of African countries.

The Belarusian president has identified Africa as one of the priorities in the country’s foreign policy and one of its priority foreign economic vectors. The current task is to fully develop trade and economic relations with African countries and ensure the growth of exports of Belarusian goods and services to the African market.

The Pan-African Parliament plays an important role in African political life. It is a body of the African Union (a continental international organization founded in 2002 as the successor to the Organization of African Unity to strengthen cooperation among the countries of the African continent). The first session of the Pan-African Parliament was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in March 2004. The PAP is composed of 275 MPs representing 55 member states of the African Union. National delegations usually include five representatives, including two women. The PAP is led by a president who has four vice-presidents. Together they represent the five regions of Africa (North, Central, West, East and South Africa) and form the Bureau of the Parliament. In June 2022, Zimbabwean Parliamentary Senator Fortune Charumbira was elected as President of the Pan-African Parliament.

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