02 October 2012, 20:01
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Lytvyn stresses the importance of establishing fruitful coordination of efforts of the parliament and the foreign affairs office.
Taking the floor at the Eleventh meeting of the heads of foreign diplomatic missions V.Lytvyn stressed the importance of increasing the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in law project and legislative work of the parliament in the sphere of foreign policy. “It goes about permanent expert bill maintenance by diplomats and MFA lawyers, about mutual regular consultations, participation in the work of the committees, and representing the stand of the MFA at various parliamentary hearings,” he said.
The Head of the Parliament believes that foreign affairs office should, within its competence, influence the process of forming and refinement of domestic legislation of Ukraine and promote its effective adaptation to the norms and standards of the European law. “The Ministry accumulates the biggest institutional potential for preliminary analysis and prognosis of possible international reaction on the adoption of certain laws of Ukraine with possible consequences for its political and economic relations with foreign partners,” he added.
V.Lytvyn believes that the work of Ukrainian MFA representatives with national parliaments in the host countries should be activated. “This is a difficult and complicated task. But with the support of parliaments, influential parties and their representatives in the legislature it would be possible to do much more for the state than through traditional diplomatic bureaucracy,” he noted.
V.Lytvyn noted that the Verkhovna Rada has significantly activated its activity in the sphere of bilateral cooperation during the last two years: at the level of heads of parliaments more then 40 visits took place, as well as more then 100 meetings of different parliamentary delegations. 103 deputies groups of inter-parliamentary relations with foreign countries are presented in the Verkhovna Rada. 20 official and working visits of the Chairman of the Parliament were held; more then 140 meetings of the authorities of the Verkhovna Rada with parliamentary, state and governmental delegations, heads of diplomatic missions of foreign countries and international delegations, etc. were held in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has ratified 214 international agreements and treaties during the period of its current convocation.
He noted that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine participates in the work of parliamentary bodies of the respective international and regional EU organizations such as OSCE, CIS, etc. Members of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine took part in four sessions during 2012; in 36 meetings of the OSCE committees; in 5 meetings of the Venice Commission, etc.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada stressed the necessity to increase financing of the MFA.