Putin Sends Greetings to Participants of the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia

"Dear Natalya Ivanovna! Dear Valentina Ivanovna! Dear friends!

I am pleased to welcome the participants and organizers of the thirteenth Forum of Regions of Russia and Belarus, which is traditionally held on the eve of the Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus, celebrated on July 3 and marking the anniversary of the liberation of Minsk from the Nazi invaders.

I wholeheartedly congratulate all our Belarusian friends on this national holiday. Russia will always remember that during the Great Patriotic War, our peoples stood shoulder to shoulder, at the cost of enormous sacrifices, defending freedom and independence, bringing peace to Europe and to all of humanity.

It is important that in Russia and Belarus we carefully preserve and strengthen the fraternal traditions of friendship and mutual support, and reinforce historically established cultural and spiritual ties. Russian-Belarusian relations are truly strategic in nature, and our Union State serves as a model of mutually beneficial and equal integration, practically contributing to the deepening of cooperation within such associations as the Eurasian Economic Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

One of the main driving forces of the partnership between Russia and Belarus, as well as the construction of the Union State, is the ties between regions. This is the solid foundation upon which cooperation between the two countries is steadily developing across a wide range of areas – in politics and security, in the social and humanitarian spheres, and, of course, in the economy.

The Forums of Regions regularly bring together representatives of federal and local authorities, legislators and businesspeople, experts and public figures. In short, all those who in practice help establish and develop direct contacts between Russian and Belarusian regions.

And this year, more than 600 delegates from 73 constituent entities of the Russian Federation have arrived in the capital of Belarus. Among them are governors, heads of regional legislative assemblies, deputies, ministers, and company executives. The composition of participants from the Belarusian side is no less authoritative.

The mutual commitment to concrete results is evidenced by the substantial package of agreements and commercial contracts signed during the forum. Their total value reaches 25 billion rubles.

You are discussing a truly relevant topic: "Economic Interaction of Regions – The Foundation for Sustainable Development of Russia and Belarus." I would note that, largely thanks to close interregional economic cooperation, bilateral trade turnover set another record last year – according to our statistics, $52 billion. This year, growth continues – more than 7 percent in the first quarter. All mutual settlements between our countries are conducted in national currencies.

The processes of harmonizing legislation in the areas of trade, investment, and financial regulation are proceeding actively. Approaches in customs and tax matters are being unified, and a unified system for quality control of goods is being implemented. During the forum, the Committee of the Union State on Standardization and Quality held its first meeting.

Russia leads in accumulated investments in the Belarusian economy – approximately $4 billion. Companies with Russian capital operate in all regions of the republic, with about 2,500 of them across the country as a whole.

The regions are deeply involved in the implementation of 26 joint import-substitution projects in high-tech sectors. For example, in the Moscow Region, with the participation of Belarusian partners, modern mining equipment is produced; in the Novosibirsk Region, components for machine-tool building are manufactured; and in Tatarstan, assembly of equipment from the Minsk Tractor Plant has been organized.

Production cooperation has been established between Belarusian civil aviation plants and the interregional cluster of the Irkutsk, Ulyanovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, and Voronezh regions, which is engaged in the production of MS-21 and Sukhoi Superjet-100 airliners. Design bureaus from the Sverdlovsk and Brest regions are working on the Osvey light multi-purpose aircraft project.

Leading Belarusian plants Integral and Planar supply components for electronics production in Tatarstan, the Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow regions. Enterprises in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Minsk have built effective cooperation chains for the creation of optical devices and photonic instruments for communication systems, data transmission, and information technology.

Regular passenger flights to Belarus operate from 10 Russian regions. In April, cross-border commuter trains Smolensk–Vitebsk and Smolensk–Orsha were launched. Next in line is the opening of services on the routes Velikiye Luki–Vitebsk, Velikiye Luki–Polotsk, and Bryansk–Gomel. Plans are underway for the construction of a high-speed railway line Moscow–Minsk.

The railway and port infrastructure of Russian regions is being used for the transportation of Belarusian export products. A permit-free transit procedure is being gradually introduced for Russian and Belarusian goods transported by road to third countries.

At the regional level, efforts are also being made to develop humanitarian contacts and ties between our citizens. Hundreds of joint creative events and projects are held annually in the fields of culture, science, sports, education, and academic exchanges. The "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" music festival enjoys enduring success.

In Smolensk, it is planned to create an information center that will provide everyone with information about exhibitions, presentations, concerts, and other cultural, historical, and memorial events scheduled to take place in both countries.

I would also mention the joint motor rally that started on Monday. The route passes through 18 regions of Russia and 6 regions of Belarus. Participants will visit 11 hero cities. A significant event was the forum "Great Heritage – Common Future," held recently in Brest under the auspices of the Union State, dedicated to patriotic education and the defense of historical memory.

In short, the interaction of regions, as the theme of your current forum rightly points out, is indeed one of the key components of the strategic partnership and alliance between Russia and Belarus. We count on you continuing to develop mutual contacts with the same intensity, thereby contributing to the deepening of the entire complex of interstate relations in the interests of the well-being and prosperity of the peoples of our countries.

I wish the participants and organizers of the Minsk Forum of Regions success and all the very best."

— reads the address.