"Common Spiritual and Moral Values": Gryzlov on the Foundation of the Union of Belarus and Russia

A festive concert dedicated to the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia was held at the Palace of the Republic in Minsk. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus, Boris Gryzlov, congratulated the guests of the event.

"Over the years, Russia and Belarus have achieved an unprecedented level of interaction. Our fraternal peoples are united by common spiritual and moral values: traditions of good neighborliness, history, culture. Together we overcome challenges and threats. This makes us stronger. It is important to continue the work of harmonizing legislation in the interests of the citizens of our countries," he noted. "Happy holiday, Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia. Health, well-being, and all the best to you."

Answering journalists' questions, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus Boris Gryzlov noted that trade turnover between Belarus and Russia has grown by 35% over the past four years, reaching $51.9 billion by the end of last year. The diplomat recalled that today marks an important date - 30 years since the signing of the treaty on the creation of the Union State. According to him, it was from this moment that the unification processes began.

"I believe this format is the most ambitious of all formats of multilateral international structures. The experience we have gained over these 30 years is also necessary for other international platforms, such as the EAEU, CSTO, CIS, SCO," emphasized Boris Gryzlov.

According to the ambassador, the results of cooperation are most visible in the economy. If in 2021 trade turnover was $38.4 billion, last year it reached $51.9 billion. "This is due to the fact that we have begun to approach issues of cooperation, issues of interaction between Russian regions and Belarus differently," explained Gryzlov. He cited telling statistics: if in 2021 delegations from 20 Russian regions came to Belarus, last year there were already 44. Moreover, the figure of over 40 constituent entities of the Russian Federation has been maintained for the third year in a row. "These delegations have the opportunity to discuss new contracts and seek partners for their industrial and production activities," added the ambassador.

Separately, Boris Gryzlov focused on the difficult year of 2022, when comprehensive sanctions were imposed against both countries. "This prevented us from receiving export revenue. And our task was to compensate for this. Russia managed to find those goods, that products which we purchased, and compensated for approximately half of this revenue. And the export of Belarusian goods to Russia grew by 40%," he reported.

The ambassador also spoke about the launch of a new integration project in the transport sector. "Today another integration project began - an electric train from Smolensk to Orsha was launched. It takes only 1 hour and 40 minutes," stated Gryzlov. He clarified that this became possible, among other things, under the auspices of the presidents of the two countries. Ticket tariffs are subsidized from the budget of the Union State, so they still remain low.