Opinions & Interviews

VERONA, 19 October (BelTA) – The commissioning of the nuclear power plant in Belarus will have substantial influence on energy industry in the region. The opinion was voiced by State Secretary of the Union State of Belarus and Russia Grigory Rapota on the sidelines of the 10^th Eurasian Economic Forum in Verona, Italy on 19 October, BelTA has learned.

The official said: “The Belarusian nuclear power plant will radically change the energy picture in this region of Europe.” In his words, the construction of the nuclear power plant in Belarus is a very important and large Belarusian-Russian joint project, which can serve as a good example of international cooperation in power engineering.

Grigory Rapota said: “I believe that major energy projects and other ones could come in handy for advancing cooperation between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. I am talking about projects for cooperation between the two blocs, not cooperation between the European Union and individual EAEU member states on bilateral terms. The Eurasian Economic Union member states represent a bridge between the East and the West in geographical terms. But so far the trade and economic bridge has been ineffective due to various reasons.”

According to Grigory Rapota, China’s Belt and Road initiative represents another opportunity for cooperation between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. “The Eurasian Economic Union countries have a great potential and it needs to be used here. But it is important to implement such projects together with Russia. Russia should not fall by the wayside,” he said.