MINSK, 30 June (BelTA) – Russia is interested in the Belarusian experience of waste management. Belarusian Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister Andrei Khudyk made the statement at a session of the interparliamentary commission on interregional cooperation of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on 30 June. The session took place on the sidelines of the 8th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, BelTA has learned.
Andrei Khudyk said: “We have no doubts about cooperation with the Russian Federation in this sphere. There are serious agreements and prospects in this regard. I am talking primarily about the proximity of our territories, the huge border, biodiversity, transboundary transfer of pollutants, water resources conservation, and creation of joint biological reserves. At the same time there are more global problems of pressing interest. Waste management is one of them. There is no doubt that Belarus has made a step forward in this regard, at least in the post-Soviet space. Russian colleagues are very interested in our example and we share this experience.”
In his words, Belarus and Russia are also working out joint measures to minimize economic consequences of the introduction of the carbon tax in the European Union. “All these matters are discussed by joint boards and by the groups you've jointly created. Today we've reached an agreement on a roadmap. This is why we've established serious cooperation,” the Belarusian natural resources and environmental protection minister noted.
A session of the interparliamentary commission on interregional cooperation of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation took place on 30 June. Participants of the session reviewed progress in fulfilling the resulting document of the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, which was dedicated to the historical legacy of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Prospects of manufacturing cooperation between commercial entities for the sake of import substitution were discussed. Import substitution is an important component of the industrial policy of Belarus and Russia. Prospects of joint work in the sphere of environmental protection and rational usage of natural resources were analyzed.
The 8th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia began on 29 June to last through 1 July. Most of the events are held in the videoconference mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
