Opinions & Interviews

Forum of Regions lauded as important event for Belarus, Russia

MINSK, 1 July (BelTA) – The Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia has grown to become an important and effective event, Chairwoman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko said at the plenary session of the 8th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia on 1 July, BelTA has learned.

Valentina Matviyenko thanked the presidents of Belarus and Russia, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin, for their continuous attention to the forum. "The current unprecedented level of not only economic but also social, humanitarian integration within the Union State would not have been possible without your personal efforts," she said. “Thanks to your support, we can say that the Forum of Regions has grown to become and important, expected and always effective event. I believe that the main proof of this is dozens of successful interregional projects in industry, agriculture, science and education covering all kinds of partnerships in the Union State from Brest to Sakhalin."

Regions of the two countries have already signed more than 20 agreements during the 8th forum, Valentina Matviyenko said. Belarusian and Russian universities, scientific organizations, and cultural institutions have also signed about 20 agreements.

The participants of the Forum of Regions discuss the most promising cooperation avenues, Valentina Matviyenko noted. This edition of the forum is dedicated to cooperation in science and technology in the context of digitization. According to her, Belarus and Russia have an advantage in this field. “Both the countries have always boasted a high level of academic and sector-wise science and are ready to make an effective use of solutions and results of research,” she stressed. “It is not surprising that cooperation in science and technology has been one of the priorities of Belarus-Russia cooperation within the framework of the Union State since its establishment. In the past years, we implemented a lot of programs in microelectronics, space technology, nuclear energy, and many other high-technology areas. Recently, we have added cooperation in digital technologies to this list. The outcomes of the five panel discussions held within the framework of the Forum of Regions demonstrate that cooperation between Russia and Belarus, including interregional cooperation, can yield great practical results,” Valentina Matviyenko stressed.

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