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Ambassador: Belarus-Russia cooperation potential is almost unlimited

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MINSK, 30 June (BelTA) – Contracts worth about RUB110 billion were signed during the 10th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia in Ufa. This is a record amount of contracts, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov informed following the forum, BelTA has learned.

“The forum did not only live up to expectations, but set a new benchmark for  Russia-Belarus partnership,” the ambassador said.

He emphasized that the forum is not another discussion platform, although it provides an excellent opportunity to discuss cooperation plans. “The objectives of this event are very practical and specific. Every year, long-term contracts worth billions of dollars are signed at the forum. The tenth anniversary edition once again broke the record in terms of the number of contracts - there were more than a hundred of them. The amount of contracts in money terms is even more impressive - about RUB110 billion. This is another absolute record,” said Boris Gryzlov.

The business dynamics of the forum suggested that Russia and Belarus are just beginning to truly unlock the potential of the regions, the ambassador is sure. “The Western sanctions and restrictions imposed last year made us take a closer look at the resources we have. As we revisited our relations, we realized that interregional partnerships can become a new driver of economic growth. Figuratively speaking, this is a bottomless well that started to feed the economies of Russia and Belarus. Active work in this field is aligned with the efforts to implement the Union State programs, which is proceeding at a faster pace. To date, 80% of the integration package of documents has already been implemented,” the diplomat noted.

He drew attention to the synergistic effect of these processes: “It is extremely indicative how quickly our countries have moved from discussing measures to mitigate the damage brought by sanctions to developing forward-looking plans and decisions.”

“New prospects are opening up for us almost daily. In my opinion, the most important outcome of the anniversary edition of the forum and its entire ten-year history is that it helped us realize that our potential is practically unlimited,” Boris Gryzlov emphasized.

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