The tenth edition of the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia should proceed smoothly and effectively, Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova said, BelTA has learned.
On 17 January Natalya Kochanova presided over a meeting of the organizing committee for the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia.
“The Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus take turns in hosting the annual Forum of Regions,” said Natalya Kochanova. “In 2022, the forum was held in the city of Grodno. It was quite successful. You know that the forum drew many high-ranking officials from the Russian Federation, as well as governors. A large number of contracts were signed - about 70 - worth a total of RUB65 billion, or Br2.5 billion. These are good results that were achieved during the forum and throughout the year. “This is the pinnacle of what we did during the year. And, in fact, we prepare for this important event all the year round,” she added.
The tenth edition of the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia will be held in Ufa, Russia on 26-28 June. “In order for this event to be well-coordinated and efficient, all ministries and departments and, of course, regions should join in,” the speaker said. “The Russian Federation is our strategic partner, and the work we are doing now within the framework of the 28 Union State programs is supervised by the Federation Council and the Council of the Republic. We are cooperating very actively. But it is interregional cooperation that is very important in our interaction. This implies agreements between sister cities, enterprises and organizations,” Natalya Kochanova noted.
“We have agreed that these events are a very important element of our interaction. Therefore, they will continue to be. This is an effective form of cooperation, we have talked about it more than once,” Natalya Kochanova added. “This important event should proceed smoothly, without failures. The organizing committee is set to meet in Ufa in March to decide on the details of the program, like the location of our sections and the plenary meeting, as well as the agenda,” the speaker said.
The ninth installment of the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia was held in Grodno on 30 June - 1 July 2022. It was themed around “The role of interregional cooperation in advancing the integration in the Union State”.