Valentina Matvienko Presented Order of Friendship to Natalya Kochanova

On 1 July 2022, under the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko presented the Order of Friendship to Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Natalya Kochanova for a great contribution to the strengthening of friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding between the nations. The awarding took place within the plenary session of the IX Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions, which is held in Belarusian Grodno these days.

The plenary session of the Forum was dedicated to the role of interregional cooperation in the enhancement of integrational processes of the Union State. Speakers of upper chambers of Belarusian and Russian parliaments chaired the event. 

President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin sent video massage to the Forum participants.

During the plenary session, Valentina Matvienko underlined that the Forum had become an inalienable part of the system of the strategic partnership of Russia and Belarus. “Interregional cooperation continues to gain momentum every year, and we have reached a completely new level in industrial and agricultural cooperation, in the field of education and science, implemented a number of significant joint initiatives in humanitarian and information fields”, Valentina Matvienko declared.

The current Forum is the first one held after the Presidents have adopted the 28 overarching union programs. “Today these are our key integration documents aimed at shaping a common economic and social space, improving the quality of life and ensuring security of the Union State”, Valentina Matvienko claimed.

The Speaker of the upper chamber of the Russian parliament mentioned the issues of ensuring import substitution, development of IT industry, increasing cooperation in agro-industrial field and using tourism potential of the Union State.

Natalya Kochanova underlined that sessions of the Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions are remarkable for their transparency, goodwill, sincere interest in common result and high effectiveness. The Speaker of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament urged the event participants to make it a rule when improving national legislations “to evaluate every step for compliance with the goals of integration, understanding that these goals can be achieved only in a common legal space”.

Today, Natalya Kochanova and Valentina Matvienko also met with the heads of state authorities of both states’ regions in Grodno.

The next Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions will take place in Ufa (Russia).