Vitebsk region signed more than 20 contracts at the V Forum of Regions of Russia and Belarus
The program of the two-day forum was filled to the brim with political, business, and cultural events. The central event was a plenary session with the participation of the Presidents of Belarus and Russia, during which priority areas for the development of regional cooperation were discussed.
The Interparliamentary Commission of the Council of the Republic and the Federation Council for Interregional Cooperation worked at the forum's venues, focusing on strengthening ties between the parliaments of the two countries and opportunities to enhance the role of the deputy corps in promoting Belarusian-Russian integration.
For the first time during the forum, a meeting of the Business Cooperation Council was organized.
Current business interaction issues were raised, and promising joint projects were elaborated. It should be noted that despite the large number of representatives from the authorities of the two countries, business topics prevailed in Mogilev.
During the breakout sessions at the forum, key economic areas were discussed: unification and harmonization of legislation, international activities and economic security, agrarian policy, and acceleration of economic activity development through digital technologies.
The business community actively used the forum's platforms for business negotiations with a focus on cooperation. Everyone clearly understands that in modern conditions, partnerships cannot be built solely on trade and commodity exchange operations.
The accumulated experience of mutual work needs to be transformed into the implementation of bilateral cooperation projects.
For Vitebsk region, which borders two regions and develops contacts with most Russian regions, such events are of great importance. Partnership with Moscow, Leningrad, Smolensk, Ryazan, Pskov, and Sverdlovsk regions is progressing most dynamically, and the potential for expanding interaction is inexhaustible.
At the Forum of Regions, Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies Vladimir Terentyev and Head of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia Ellisan Shandalovich signed a protocol of intent to establish cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two regions.
— The document has become the first step at the official level in developing relations between our regions, which, I hope, will actively gain momentum. And in the near future, we will manage to move on to signing a full-scale cooperation agreement and approve a plan of joint actions for its implementation, — noted Ellisan Shandalovich in an exclusive comment to "Vitebskiye Vesti".
In addition, at the forum, the cooperation agreement between Vitebsk region and Kursk region was further refined, which may be signed during the Days of Vitebsk Region in Moscow on October 19.
At the forum in Mogilev, Vitebsk region demonstrated its historical, cultural, and tourist potential, actively promoted its trade and economic opportunities, and company leaders specified initiatives for developing cooperation during negotiations. Leading manufacturers of goods from Vitebsk region presented their products at the regional exhibition site.
Having visited the exhibition, Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Nikolai Sherstnev noted the high organizational level of the presentation of Vitebsk region's industrial potential and cultural diversity, which favorably distinguished it from other platforms deployed at the forum.
According to Konstantin Chyorny, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee's Economics Committee, more than 20 contracts for the supply of products from Vitebsk region enterprises to Russian regions were concluded within the framework of the forum. According to preliminary information, the total amount of deals exceeds 50 million dollars.
Incidentally, as the organizers noted, many events of the Forum of Regions were organized for the first time specifically in Mogilev. Thus, on the eve of the main event, the VI Youth Forum of Belarus and Russia "Youth for the Union State" was held, where the Vitebsk Regional Committee of the BRSM and the Pskov Regional Organization of the Russian Union of Youth signed a cooperation agreement.
It will allow for the development of interaction in cultural and leisure, and civic-patriotic areas. The youth law enforcement movement will receive a new impetus, believes Vyacheslav Khrol, Acting First Secretary of the Vitebsk Regional Committee of the BRSM.
Also, for the first time, the "City of Masters" craft fair was organized, where folk art crafts and folklore creativity of the regions of the two countries were widely represented.