On Wednesday May 25, Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Speaker Mahmadtoir Zokirzod met here with the Council of Republic (Belarusian upper house of parliament) Speaker Oleg Belokonev, who heading a parliamentary delegation arrived in Dushanbe on a working visit.
The Majlisi Namoyandagon press center says the two countries have been expanding intensively cooperation between their regions.
In this context, the parties, in particular, noted that trade and economic cooperation agreements had been signed between Vitebsk region of Belarus and Tajikistan’s Sughd province, between Minsk and Dushanbe, between Gomel region of Belarus and Tajikistan’s Khatlon province, between Tajikistan’s Yovon district and Belarusian Uzden district, between Mogilev region of Belarus and Tajikistan’s Sughd province, and between Belarusian city of Mogilev and Tajikistan’s city of Khujand, according to the Majlisi Namoyandagon press center.
Currently, the parties are discussing the possibility of singing similar agreements between other regions as well educational institutions of Tajikistan and Belarus.
The Majlisi Namoyandagon is the lower house of Tajikistan’s bicameral parliament (Majlisi Oli). Members of the Majlisi Namoyandagon are elected by two methods; 41 members are elected in single-member constituencies using the two-round system, whilst 22 are elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency, with an electoral threshold of 5%.
The Council of the Republic is the upper chamber of the parliament (National Assembly) of Belarus. The Council consists of 64 members, and the representation is based geographically, with most of the elected members come from civil society organizations, labor collectives and public associations in their jurisdiction. Each oblast (six) and the city of Minsk (the national capital) are represented by eight members, and an additional eight members are appointed to the council via presidential quota. It was established after the Constitution of Belarus was amended in 1996, replacing the Supreme Council of Belarus.
