Cooperation between the Nordic Council and the Vitebsk region will begin with projects in the environmental sphere

September 11, Vitebsk / Sergey Kotov - BELTA /. Projects aimed at improving the quality of drinking water, as well as biofuel production, may become pilot projects in the cooperation between the Nordic Council and the Vitebsk region. This was announced to journalists by the Chairperson of the Nordic Council, Member of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sweden Sinikka Bolin, as reported by BELTA correspondent. Today, a delegation from the Nordic Council is on a visit to the Vitebsk region. "We have extensive experience in projects aimed at improving the quality of drinking water and processing used water, so perhaps one of our first joint projects with the Vitebsk region will be implemented in these areas," said Sinikka Bolin. Another promising and interesting area of cooperation is the production of biofuels from local raw materials. During the one-day trip of the Nordic Council delegation around the Vitebsk region, it is planned to discuss key areas of cooperation, including in ecology, energy saving, woodworking, forestry, and agriculture. "The trip around the Vitebsk region will provide an opportunity to study the situation on the ground and get acquainted with the region's potential to determine the prospects for our future interaction," added Sinikka Bolin. The Nordic Council delegation held a working meeting with the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies Alexander Atyasov and the leadership of the regional executive committee, during which the parties discussed possible areas of joint work and identified priorities for interaction. Delegation members will visit facilities of the republican unitary enterprise "Vitebskoblgaz", open joint-stock companies "Rudakovo" and "Vitebskdrev". The Nordic Council is an organization for parliamentary cooperation of the Nordic countries, which brings together parliamentarians from five states (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden) and three autonomous territories (Åland Islands, Faroe Islands, Greenland). It prepares recommendations for the Nordic Council of Ministers, which was established as a forum for cooperation between the governments of the Scandinavian states. The bodies of the Nordic Council are the presidium, the plenary session, and committees. The Nordic Council consists of 87 members elected by national parliaments. The committees of the Nordic Council maintain contacts and exchange information with UNESCO, WTO, and UNICEF. Representatives of the OSCE PA are invited to the sessions. The Nordic Council is the initiator of parliamentary cooperation in three areas: Baltic, Arctic, and Barents. The Nordic Investment Bank plays a significant role in the development of economic and environmental cooperation through the contributions of the Nordic countries. The goal of this bank is to provide loans to promote investment projects and exports.-0-