By Ilona Krasutskaya: President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has left for a working visit to Moscow today to take part in a session of the Union State Supreme State Council and the IV Forum of the Regions of Belarus and Russia. Immediately upon arrival, the Belarusian leader held a meeting with the heads of Russia’s leading media at the TASS News Agency chief editors club. The participants discussed the comprehensive development of Belarus-Russia relations, including in the socio-political and information spheres, as well as interaction between the two countries in integration associations. The dialogue paralleled the 4th Forum of the Regions of Belarus and Russia, which has launched today.
The first Belarus-Russia Forum of the Regions took place in Minsk and was dedicated to the development of the agro-industrial complex. The second one held in Sochi focused on the industrial policy, followed by a Minsk one dedicated to social and humanitarian cooperation. This time, the central theme is the Union State’s integration in the hi-tech sphere.
The topics of the national exhibitions are symbolic as 2017 is the year of science in Belarus and of the environment in Russia. Among Belarus’ 250 innovative products is the electric car based on Geely SC7.
Belarus currently has close ties with 79 Russian regions, the top five including the Moscow, Smolensk and Tyumen regions, as well as Moscow and St. Petersburg. Over the past year, the amount of direct Russian investments increased by 8%.
The Moscow forum is featuring all Belarusian regions and about 30 regions of Russia. The event is planned to result in over 50 cooperation agreements. On the first day, Belarus concluded several commercial export contracts.
Russia is home to over 1,000 joint Belarusian-Russian enterprises, including 70 assembly plants. 8,000 enterprises are connected by mutual supplies. More than 20 intergovernmental agreements are operating in the industrial policy sphere, this package to be supplemented with new contracts during the forum. Opening dealer centers and releasing joint products for the Eurasian Economic Union market and beyond were among the topics discussed today.
A large-scale exhibition of Belarusian goods in Moscow’s centre is offering consumer products by 60 Belarusian companies.
Tomorrow, the Forum of Regions will be attended by the leaders of Belarus and Russia. Union State integration will be a separate discussion subject at the Supreme State Council session. Besides, according to the Belarusian President’s Press Service, Alexander Lukashenko is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin.












