Hope for presidents of Belarus, Russia to approve Union State programs by year end

According to Dmitry Mezentsev, the governments of Belarus and Russia have recently approved 28 Union State programs that help combine the potential of the two countries for greater competitiveness of the Union State in foreign markets, closer cooperation of research institutions, and deeper interregional interaction. “We are looking forward to this year's meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State and also to our heads of state approving the Union State programs that will define industrial, tax, customs, research and development policies, as well as dozens of other areas. It is high time for the CIS member states to study the developments of the Union State,” he said.

“However, in addition to the obvious economic benefits, we should keep in mind the unique interaction that characterizes the CIS and the Union State. It is the practice of trust, respect for a shared history, readiness for mutual assistance. It is important to pass on this social memory from the older generation to those who are entering adulthood. Today we see how difficult the external challenges and threats are in the international arena, what an unprecedented pressure Belarus and Russia are facing. It has become clear to everyone that it is almost impossible to confront these challenges and threats alone. The last two years of the fight against COVID-19 show what mutual assistance is,” the state secretary said.

Dmitry Mezentsev stressed that Russia and Belarus are building a joint Earth remote sensing satellite. “We are also talking about the establishment of the joint infrastructure of fundamental and applied research of the Union State, joint work on the probiotic vaccine which will complement the series of vaccines against COVID-19. Today we are developing joint programs in the most high-tech fields, at the forefront of genetics and biology which also have applied significance. Cooperation in peaceful atom and nuclear medicine is acquiring great significance,” he said.

On 28 September, Minsk played host to the international conference “30 Years of the Commonwealth of Independent States: Results and Prospects”. The conference was organized by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the CIS Executive Committee. The participants of the conference summed up the results of 30 years of the Commonwealth of Independent States and developed specific recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the CIS in the future. The event was supported by the CIS Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation.