8th Forum of Regiond of Belarus and Russia held this week

There were many congratulations from artists, deputies, politicians from different countries. At the official level, there was also a great flow of kind words to every Belarusian. The head of state and the Belarusian people were congratulated by the UN Secretary General, Pope Francis, the leaders of Russia, China, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Turkmenistan, Israel, Cuba, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Algeria, Kenya and many other countries.

Vladimir Putin noted that our countries are linked by close relations of alliance and partnership, which will only grow stronger, since they are beneficial to both states. The Russian President expressed his confidence that Moscow and Minsk would continue to actively participate in the integration processes in the Eurasian space. It has already been decided to use the enemy's favorite weapon - sanctions - to strengthen the cooperation, announced Alexander Lukashenko at the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, which was held for the 8th time. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the participants of the Forum of Regions had to communicate by video link. But in any case this large-scale event is always held under the patronage of the presidents. Such attention shows the role the regions they play to strengthen the partnership of the two countries at all levels - in trade, cooperation, humanitarian sphere. The leaders take a unified approach in opposing sanctions rhetoric. Russia is a strategic partner for us, and the current record in the amount of contracts signed proves it. This year the Belarusian-Russian amounted to about $800 million in joint projects in industry, petrochemistry, agriculture, construction, food production and ecology. The list of agreements includes about 50 agreements, both inter-regional and intergovernmental. They also reached an agreement to establish a Business Cooperation Council. Several regions, including Mogilev and Grodno, have at once a weighty portfolio of contracts. Next year they set no less ambitious goals - they expect to reach one billion dollars in contracts.