GRODNO, 18 February (BelTA) – The 5th Congress of Small Towns of Grodno Oblast and Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, scheduled for summer 2026, will focus on economic cooperation. The forum’s roadmap was discussed during a roundtable meeting in Grodno attended by representatives from both regions, BelTA has learned.
On the Belarusian side, the congress is organized by the 5+ partnership alliance for sustainable development, which brings together seven districts of Grodno Oblast: Volkovysk, Zelva, Mosty, Svisloch, Slonim, Shchuchin and Voronovo. It was established in 2021 for close interaction aimed at developing the potential of each participant and finding partners for mutually beneficial cooperation. It was this format that interested the leadership of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Representative Office in Belarus, facilitating active interaction. The initiative has received and continues to receive support from the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee, the region’s head Yuri Karayev, and the Grodno Oblast Council of Deputies led by Yelena Pasyuta.
“Over these years, we have had quite a good experience of mutual cooperation. Today, the pressing task is to strengthen its economic vector. To ensure that, we need to form thematic locations taking into account, first and foremost, mutual economic interests. In accordance with this theme, the delegations on both sides should include people competent in the area, possibly business representatives interested in cooperation in their fields. Moreover, this should be done well in advance to allow time for preliminary bilateral contacts and the elaboration of projects that could be discussed at the congress and result in agreements. This is particularly important for forging direct ties between regions and organization, cutting out intermediaries entirely,” Valentin Semenyako, Chairman of the Standing Commission on State Building, Local Government, and Regulations of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, noted.
The Russian side has similar guidelines in their interaction. As emphasized by Head of the Representative Office of Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in Belarus Andrei Dudkin, one of the most important tasks within the Union State of Belarus and Russia is the development of interregional ties. The congresses are precisely aimed at giving this process a new impetus in the regions. The four congresses have enriched both sides with expertise, experience, and innovations. He identified cooperation in the agricultural industry, youth policy and parliamentarianism as promising areas.
“Currently, youth organizations actively interacte, tourism has received a good boost, and we have achieved a lot in the development of patriotic education for the younger generation,” Andrei Dudkin noted. “For the heads of municipalities in the Nizhny Novgorod region, it is very important to study the positive experience of rural administrations and district executive committees in maintaining order, improvement, the work of housing and communal services, and the development of the social welfare in Grodno Oblast. The topics are very important, and the number of people wishing to participate in the congresses grows every year. Other regions of the Russian Federation have also been informed about the initiative and are expressing a desire to join.”
“For us, the economy is the key to success and sustainable development,” Chairwoman of the Grodno Oblast Council of Deputies Yelena Pasyuta explained the choice of vector for the upcoming congress of small towns of Grodno Oblast and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. “We will involve small and medium-sized businesses for them to interact, so that they can find partners and establish direct trade.”
Yelena Pasyuta gave consideration the development of the tourism business. She noted that not all regions in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast are yet familiar with Grodno Oblast, its opportunities and advantages. Among the delegation from the Sechenovsky Municipal District, which is currently working in the Belarusian region, there are guests visiting the Neman region for the first time. Judging by their impressions, this introduction will open up new prospects for cooperation. She cited as an example the good groundwork created in youth interaction and the implementation of a number of projects, which serves to strengthen the Union State of Belarus and Russia.
The 5th Congress of Small Towns of Grodno Oblast and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast will be held in 2026 in the village of Diveyevo in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Traditionally, a press tour for regions’ journalists will be organized ahead of the congress.
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