10th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia to take place on June 26th-28th in Ufa

The 10th Forum of the Regions of Belarus and Russia will be held on June 26th-28th, 2023 in the Russian city of Ufa – as stated today by Natalya Kochanova, the Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, at a meeting of the forum’s organising committee

Some details of the upcoming forum were revealed by the chairman of the forum’s organising committee from the Belarusian side, Chairman of the Standing Commission on Regional Policy and Local Self-Government of the Council of the Republic, Mikhail Rusy, “This year, within the framework of the forum, ten sections at the suggestion of the Russian side. Their moderators will be chairs of the standing commissions, their deputies and members of the Council of the Republic, and we also involve a whole list of people who will become experts and speakers at these sections.”

It is planned to hold a regular meeting of the Interparliamentary Commission on Interregional Co-operation within the framework of the 10th forum. During the last forum in Grodno and during the visit of Natalya Kochanova to the Russian Federation and her meeting with Valentina Matviyenko in autumn 2022, an agreement was reached to strengthen the role of the Interparliamentary Commission. Currently, the work is underway to adjust the regulations, and our proposals have been sent to the Russian side. There is an agreed decision to hold another meeting of the Interparliamentary Commission before the forum, with the details being worked out. This will be considered at a meeting of the organising committee, which is proposed to be held in Ufa in March. The session will review the implementation of our 28 Union State programmes and other instructions that were given to us at the previous forum in Grodno.

Mikhail Rusy, speaking about the programme of the 10th Forum of Regions, continued, “The next day [after the start] a meeting will be held between the Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova and the Chairperson of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko with the heads of regions, authorities and administrations of the Republic of Belarus and constituent entities of the Russian Federation. As is traditional, it will be used for direct contacts between representatives of the regions of Belarus and Russia, since the interest is very high. From the Belarusian side, governors and chairs of the regional and the Minsk City Councils of Deputies will take part, from the Russian side – heads of regions. And most importantly, the plenary session. We will need to discuss the results of the past ten forums and prospects for further co-operation.”

The chairman of the organising committee from the Belarusian side also informed, “A joint event of the Youth Council (Parliament) under the National Assembly of Belarus and the Council of the Chamber of Young Legislators under the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly will take place on the sidelines of the forum. Moreover, a joint event of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Belarus and Russia is also planned.”

“We need to work out the issue of holding an exhibition of large-sized equipment in Ufa and, in general, the achievements of Belarus’ national economy. We will clarify the volume, what areas are they ready to provide us, so that the Republic of Belarus looks worthy at this expo,” he added.

Mikhail Rusy underlined, “I think, proceeding from the fact that last year $2.5bn of contracts were signed during the forum, now we must take an even more serious step. There is a real opportunity for this.”