MINSK, 29 June (BelTA) – The 8th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia has kicked off on 29 June. It is traditionally held under the auspices of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, BelTA learned from the press service of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament.
The forum will run through 1 July. Its main events will be held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Russia and Belarus are experiencing an increasing impact of digital technologies on the society and the state, including healthcare, economy, and national security. In this regard, this year the forum will focus on scientific and technical cooperation between Russia and Belarus in the era of digitalization. The relevance of this topic is also due to the importance of creating a single scientific and technological space in the process of integration of Russia and Belarus.
“This is a very important and relevant topic, which holds a lot of promise for our countries,” Chair of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova said.
Five panel discussions are taking place on the first day and are focusing on the following topics: Belarus-Russia cooperation in science and education in the era of ‘big challenges' and digital technologies; the role of digitalization in the formation of a single scientific and technological space of the Union State; interaction between Russia and Belarus in implementing Union State programs and scientific and technical projects within the framework of international treaties; law and digitalization in the Union State: prospects and directions; online youth: the digital environment of the future.
The inter-parliamentary commission of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation will hold a meeting on interregional cooperation via a video link on 30 June.
Special attention at the forum will be paid to business matters. Participants of the Council of Business Cooperation of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Belarus and Russia will discuss cooperation prospects.
The key event of the forum - the plenary session – will be attended by representatives of Belarusian and Russian central government, ministries and government agencies, business communities, as well as digitalization experts.
