Parliamentarians of the Union State visited Vitebsk State Technological University

The meeting with the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly was attended by the head of the administration of the Oktyabrsky district, Sergey Stashevsky, the rector of VSTU, Andrey Kuznetsov, and the university's management and staff. An interested discussion was held on the directions of Belarusian-Russian cooperation in the field of higher education.

One of the important aspects of the activities of the deputies of the Union State is visiting cultural, healthcare, and educational facilities. This was stated by the chairperson of the Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly on Social Policy, Culture, and Humanitarian Affairs, Elena Afanasyeva.

— We must understand the direction in which the higher education systems of Belarus and Russia are developing, — noted Elena Vladimirovna. — The youth of the Union State must be confident in their future, in the fact that they will be employed after graduation.

Deputies, as emphasized by Elena Afanasyeva, need to be in constant contact with people, their constituents. This is important for legislators because their main task is to create laws by which citizens of the Union State, equal in their rights and opportunities, will live, perhaps for more than one decade. All this also applies to the higher education system. Universities in Belarus and Russia must develop using the latest technologies.

Valery Bashmetov told the guests about the history of the Vitebsk State Technological University. In 1965, the then technological institute was opened, which was vitally important for Belarus, where, more than in any other republic of the Soviet Union, there was a large number of light industry enterprises. Valery Stepanovich was among the first students of the institute, and later headed this university for 23 years, which became a solid base for the development of the domestic light industry. Today, VSTU, engaged in training highly qualified personnel and numerous scientific developments, has 53 cooperation agreements with universities of a similar profile, including with St. Petersburg State University of Technology and Design and Saratov State Technical University.

The Vice-Rector for Scientific Work, Elena Vankevich, spoke about the university's participation in scientific programs. The parliamentary delegation was introduced to the innovative developments of VSTU scientists and the university's art school.

As it became known during the press conference dedicated to the opening of the XXV International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk", the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev, was awarded a commemorative medal of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia.

Vitaly SENKOV. Photos by the author. "Vitichi".