Opinions & Interviews

Matviyenko: All economic problems of Russia and Belarus are solvable

Valentina Matviyenko. Photo courtesy of TASS

MINSK, 29 September (BelTA) - All economic problems of Russia and Belarus are solvable, Valentina Matviyenko, Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia, said during the plenary session of the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, BelTA has learned.

“The union of our states, the cooperation between our countries, and the friendship of our peoples rely on solid foundations. Thanks to his, we resist any attempts to shake these foundations, to launch the process of bringing Russia and Belarus apart. I am sure that our peoples will not allow this. Indeed, we have had issues in our economic cooperation. There are problems but they are all solvable. This is evidenced by the fact that Russia remains the key investment and trading partner of Belarus," Valentina Matviyenko said.

The head of the Federation Council noted that Russia's position on Belarus remains unchanged. "We are in favor of further deepening the economic cooperation between our countries, improving its mechanisms based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit, respect for each other's interests. Moreover, our countries have accumulated a wealth of experience of such cooperation, including at the level of regional ties," she said.

Valentina Matviyenko said that the forum of regions has become a regular event in the life of the two countries. "This is an anticipated and important event. Its importance has increased in the current difficult conditions, as the presidents of our countries said in their video messages. These days, we see vibrant negotiations between regional leaders, business partners. We expect multimillion-dollar contracts and agreements to be signed, and large-scale projects to be launched. It is already clear that the forum will end with good figures both in terms of the number of new contracts and in terms of their total monetary equivalent," she added.

The 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia is held via videoconferencing on 28-29 September. The program of the first day included five panel discussions: parliamentary cooperation, joint economic projects, the feat of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, counteraction to the glorification of Nazism, increasing the activity of the rural youth. There was also a joint session of the Business Councils of Belarus and Russia and a high-level expert session to discuss education as the basis of historical memory and further integration development of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.

A plenary session is the central event of the Forum of Regions which will summarize the results of the panel discussions, discuss key issues and adopt the outcome document. The key theme is the historical heritage of Great Victory as the basis for the development of social, economic and spiritual ties between the peoples of Belarus and Russia.

It is expected that agreements and contracts worth $700-750 million will be signed at the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia.

The 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia is held under the patronage of the presidents of Belarus and Russia.

print version

make home page

add to bookmarks