MINSK, 5 July (BelTA) – Interference in domestic affairs of a sovereign state runs afoul of all international agreements, Chair of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova told the Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA has learned.
“As for the EU sanctions, words fail me to express my outrage. This is unacceptable, this is interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, a violation of all international agreements. This should be stopped. We discussed this issue with our Russian counterparts. We will never put up with this. But in order to mitigate the impact of the sanctions, we need to work harder, look for solutions, take certain decisions to keep our economy running as usual. The first five months of 2021 have seen some positive dynamics,” Natalya Kochanova emphasized.
The speaker also took stock of the results of the 8th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia. Some $800 million worth of contracts were signed at the forum. Natalya Kochanova believes that hitting a billion-dollar target in the future would be another milestone. “We will try to achieve this next year. But the most important thing is efficiency,” she said.
Natalya Kochanova went on saying that although significant results were achieved during the regional forums, this is not the limit. “Russia is our strategic partner. New contracts are signed, joint ventures are set up. I think that in the current situation these agreements will be even more relevant,” she said.
Cooperation in science and technology between Belarus and Russia was the key topic of the forum. The parties discussed digitalization and formation of a common science and technology space during the integration of the two states. “Science is a driver of growth in any country. Of course, we need to join our efforts in order to develop research facilities. We have been working closely with Russia in these areas for a long time. The future of our countries depends on this,” Natalya Kochanova said.
“We also talked about the threats coming from digitalization, as well as the development of the Internet. Lies, fake news are pouring like rain in the monsoon. It can be very difficult for a person to determine in this information flow what is true and what is not. We should be very attentive to this problem. I suggested putting together a high-level bilateral group to work out model laws in this area, track how the adopted legislative acts are implemented. We will consider this issue,” the speaker informed.
Natalya Kochanova emphasized that the video conference format of the Forum of Regions did not affect the effectiveness of the negotiations. “The work on agreements and contracts that were signed at the forum continued throughout the year. The forum itself is meant to take stock of these efforts and discuss current topics. Of course, live communication would be better, it cannot be replaced by any information technology. Yet, video conferencing is also a very effective form of work. We worked efficiently and took decisions for the benefit of our states,” the speaker concluded.
The Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia was held under the aegis of the upper chambers of the Belarusian and Russian parliaments – the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. The 8th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia began on 29 June and lasted through 1 July.
