Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 12 July (BelTA) – Belarus is playing a key role the integration processes in the post-Soviet area, State Secretary of the Belarus-Russia Union State Grigory Rapota said during the opening of the plenary session at the 19^th World Congress of Russian Press in Minsk on 12 July, BelTA has learned.

Grigory Rapota named Belarus as one of the key elements of all the integration processes in the post-Soviet area. He cited the interstate associations in which Belarus plays an active role: the Belarus-Russia Union State, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union. Belarus is an active associated member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in particular in such essential matters as the development of the new Silk Road set to unite China and Europe.

Addressing the participants of the congress, the state secretary wished the Russian media outlets to work further to promote mutual understanding and constructive relations between the states they operate in.

The 19th World Congress of Russian Press has brought together mass media representatives from 52 countries in Belarus. The country is hosting the congress for the second time. The first time was in 2013. The event is organized by the World Association of Russian Press, the Belarusian Information Ministry, and the World Russian Press Foundation.

The World Association of Russian Press was established on 24 June 1999. It is an open international non-governmental association of print and digital media, news agencies, publishing houses, television channels, and radio programs. According to the WARP Council, newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, radio and television broadcasts in Russian are now available in over 70 countries across the globe. A significant number of them are represented in WARP or cooperate with the association.