Address to participants in the panel session of the 11th Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Ms Kochanova, Ms Matviyenko, friends,

I am delighted to welcome the participants and organisers of the 11th Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions.

Our meetings in this format have become a good tradition. This time, about 800 delegates from the majority of the constituent entities of Russian and Belarusian regions are attending the forum, including heads of regions, members of parliament, heads of agencies, business people and representatives of public and youth organisations. All these people are making a concrete and tangible contribution to deepening the allied fraternal relations between Russia and Belarus.

It is notable that this year the forum is focused on the role of interregional cooperation in developing the innovative economy of the Union State. This is one of the most topical issues, as Russia and Belarus are actively working to implement new technologies in all economic spheres and to boost the development of science-intensive sectors in industry and agriculture.

This is crucial for strengthening the sovereignty of our states, enhancing their competitiveness and ensuring their long-term sustainable economic growth, which naturally requires energetic and creative contributions not only from federal and central authorities but also from the regions.

This year, the forum is meeting simultaneously in three cities - Vitebsk, Polotsk and Novopolotsk - at the suggestion of our Belarusian friends. We are using this format of meetings of regional representatives for the first time and I believe that it merits attention.

The package of agreements reached at the forum comprises about 250 agreements and commercial contracts worth 24 billion rubles in total. Their implementation will certainly help expand interaction between our regions and promote Russia-Belarus trade and investment cooperation.

I would like to emphasise that Belarus is a key economic partner for Russia. At the same time, Russia accounts for about 60 percent of Belarusian foreign trade transactions.

Last year, trade increased by more than 5 percent, reaching a record $46.5 billion, primarily driven by region-to-region interaction between manufacturers, wholesale vendors, and logistics centres based in various parts of both countries.

Russia firmly holds the first place in accumulated investment in the Belarusian economy with over $5 billion. About 2,500 companies with Russian capital are successfully operating throughout Belarus.

Integration processes unfolding within the Union State and the Eurasian Economic Union play a crucial role in deepening region-to-region cooperation between Russia and Belarus. Due to the increasingly close integration, Russian and Belarusian companies can operate within a single economic landscape, regardless of the region they are based in, without any barriers or obstacles.

This is particularly relevant in such areas as science, technology and innovation, which were discussed at the forum. I would like to remind you that on January 29 in St Petersburg, Alexander Lukashenko and I approved a new Strategy for the Scientific and Technological Development of the Union State.

This document envisages a number of joint high-tech projects for import substitution, the inauguration of advanced production facilities and the launch of competitive products with high added value. These projects will be implemented by Russia and Belarus in the period until 2035.

I would like to emphasise that much is already being done in this area between the Russian and Belarusian regions. For example, the Ural Civil Aviation Plant and the aircraft repair plant in Baranovichi, Belarus, have joined forces to develop a light multipurpose aircraft.

Manufacturers in Moscow and St Petersburg, the Moscow and Leningrad regions, as well as Minsk and the Minsk Region have established cooperation in the production of optical devices and photonics equipment for communication, data transmission and computer systems.

Regional research centres and design bureaus in Russia and Belarus jointly design orbital and ground components of satellite constellations used in Earth observation and navigation.

And certainly I cannot fail to mention the largest strategic and innovative Russian-Belarusian project, the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Grodno Region. Contractors from many Russian and Belarusian regions were involved in this project. To date, the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant has generated over 30 billion kilowatt-hours of affordable and clean energy for the Belarusian economy.

I would also like to say that regional research centres and universities are actively contributing to interaction between our academies of sciences and to educational exchanges. In particular, about 12,000 Belarusian citizens are studying at Russian universities, and another 1,300 Belarusian students will have the opportunity to receive state-subsidised education there next year.

Friends,

In conclusion, I would like to use this occasion to congratulate all our Belarusian friends on their republic's Independence Day and on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the hero city of Minsk from Nazi invaders, which will be celebrated on July 3.

Russia and Belarus will never forget that during the Great Patriotic War our peoples joined ranks to defend our Motherland, made enormous sacrifices to liberate Europe and made a decisive contribution to saving the world from Nazism.

This January, President Lukashenko and I unveiled a new memorial complex in the Gatchinsky District of the Leningrad Region. It commemorates the peaceful citizens of the Soviet Union who fell victim to the Nazi genocide. That monument is one of many joint projects dedicated to the Great Victory.

It is vitally important that we regularly hold events in our regions to enhance the patriotic education of our young people, who must know the truth about the immortal and unparalleled heroism of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

A relevant example of these joint efforts directly involving our regions is the Memory Train project, which is being held for the third time now. Schoolchildren from Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will travel through Russian and Belarusian cities to see the historical sites and the places where the decisive battles of the Great Patriotic War were fought.

In conclusion, I would like to once again wish success to the organisers and all participants of the forum. The results of your joint efforts will undoubtedly help strengthen Russia-Belarus ties for the benefit of our two fraternal nations.

Thank you.

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