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Opinion: Belarus, Russia have potential for cooperation in almost every area
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MINSK, 16 June (BelTA) - The potential for cooperation between Belarus and Russia is huge, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko said as he addressed the 60th session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia held via a video link, BelTA has learned.
“I believe that the work on the package of integration documents will be completed ahead of the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, which the presidents have agreed to hold this autumn. We have always found mutually acceptable and mutually beneficial solutions. I am confident that it will be the same way this time as well. We can already see positive results of this interaction. In Q1 2021, trade between our countries grew by more than 20%. Such results give us every reason to believe that by the end of the year we will reach the pre-crisis level of 2019,” said Vladimir Andreichenko.
According to him, the fight against the coronavirus was a significant contribution to the Union State building and economic revitalization. “We are grateful to Russia for its assistance and organization of the Sputnik V vaccine production. The decision to launch the production of the vaccine within the country was highly appreciated by the Belarusian people,” the speaker said.
In his words, the restrictions on the Belarusian-Russian border have been partially lifted and regular communication is gradually resuming. The high-speed train Lastochka and new flights to the regions of Russia are in great demand. “This work will be continued by total removal of all restrictions on the movement across the border and the full restoration of all types of transport communication. We need to think about expanding the geography of routes, increasing the number of flights and rail services. This is important for further strengthening of regional cooperation, which has been the key to the successful development of the Union State. We expect that the upcoming Forum of the Regions of Belarus and Russia will make a significant contribution to the cooperation of our regions," he said.
“Belarus and Russia have the potential to tap into almost in every avenue of cooperation. The potential is huge. Union State programs are of fundamental importance to us. Six of the nine programs are being completed this year, with only three remaining on the 2022 budget. Reconciliation of new concepts and programs is going very slowly, to be it mildly,” Vladimir Andreichenko said. “We need to accelerate the development of new programs aimed at designing high-tech products with high added value, able to compete in foreign markets. The future lies in such strategic areas as the development of smart cities, electric transport, precision farming, microelectronics."
In his opinion, in order to overhaul the situation with the Union State budget, it is necessary to solve the issue with Union State property. “The MPs are actively working on another big issue - the extension of the insurance policies of transport vehicles of Belarus and Russia to the Union State. A draft roadmap has been developed. This issue is of interest to a significant number of our citizens, I call to work as quickly as possible, avoiding red tape," the speaker added.
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