At Plenary Session of XI Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions Effective Implementation of Joint Projects Noted

On 28 June, the plenary session of the XI Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions took place. The participants of the event discussed Cooperation in Building an Innovative Economy of the Union State.

The meeting was held by Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Natalya Kochanova, and Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council Valentina Matvienko.

Opening the event, Valentina Matvienko noted that the forum had reached a new height.  According to the number of participants, the level of issues and conversations discussed, and the results achieved, the format is in demand. She considers that interregional cooperation is the foundation of the Union State.

Valentina Matvienko called on the Heads of Russian and Belarusian regions to look for new points of contact, use their competitive advantages for cooperation, increase economic efficiency, and build new production chains. According to her, in addition to industrial cooperation, interregional cooperation in education, public health, social protection of citizens, and culture is also important.

According to Natalya Kochanova, it is important that the emphasis in the three-year development program of the Union State is on breakthrough technologies, on the creation of import-substituting, competitive products.

She recalled that over the past year, thanks to the Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions, 615 cooperation agreements between the regions were signed, including 137 documents on the establishment of twinning relations, and 7 intergovernmental agreements.

Within the framework of the forum, sections were held with the participation of Belarusian and Russian senators, representatives of executive and legislative authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation and regions of Belarus, relevant ministries and departments, municipal authorities of the two countries, as well as business, academics and culture. Representatives of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly also took part in the forum.

This year the forum is being held in three cities. Vitebsk became the main city for the events, part of the program will be held in the ancient city of Polotsk, part in Novopolotsk.