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MOSCOW, 17 May (BelTA) - Belarus and Russia will step up cooperation in the field of subsurface exploration, Belarus’ Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Andrei Kovkhuto told reporters following a joint meeting of the nature ministries of Belarus and Russia in Moscow, BelTA has learned.

The Minister noted that the Belarusian and Russian geologists have long cooperated in joint subsoil exploration. “At the meeting, we decided that these projects will continue. Cooperation in the field of exploration of subsoil will be intensified and may be based on the unified system of registering the deposits and, possibly, a program of joint action which will result in the strengthening of cooperation both in terms of discovering new mineral deposits and also in the use of production and processing technologies,” the Minister said.

Andrei Kovkhuto said that Belarus is interested in Russia’s experience of and Russian technology in geo-exploration and mining.

The Minister also said that the meeting reviewed the progress in the implementation of the Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in protection and rational use of transboundary water bodies. “The issues of water resources are very important including in the context of the climate change. We need to study the impact of human activities and industry on surface and underground waters in order to ensure an uninterrupted water supply to the population,” the Minister said.

According to Andrei Kovkhuto, the meeting also discussed ecological tourism, specially protected natural areas and a number of others issues, which will be the subject of cooperation between the two ministries in the coming years.