SECOND FORUM OF REGIONS BELARUS AND RUSSIA IN 2015 scheduled to be held in Veliky Novgorod

Minsk hosted the final meeting of the First Forum of Regions of Russia and Belarus. The event was chaired by the Council of Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Anatoly Rubinov and Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko. The Forum adopted the final document, said Valentina Matvienko, provides guidance in key areas of development of agriculture in Russia and Belarus. "It defines our common, coherent approach to the most important and urgent problems of food security, the joint agricultural policy, regional cooperation in this critical area." According to the Chairman of the Federation Council, the document reflects the proposals for improving the legal framework and the implementation of uniform rules of state support for agriculture, creation of equal conditions of competition in the agricultural market. "Identified and corrected further work on the harmonization of Russian and Belarusian legislation in the field of legal regulation of the agro-industrial sphere." Valentina Matviyenko called important that the participants of the Forum supported the need to develop technical regulations of the Customs Union, including technical regulations for organic agricultural products. Speaker of the Federation Council noted that the problems of strengthening quality control in Russia and Belarus, the supply from third countries, to ensure strict control over the turnover of products containing GMOs were highlighted at the forum. Valentina Matvienko stressed that the implementation of the recommendations of the Forum will enhance the efficiency of the common agricultural market, will contribute to the capacity of agricultural production, strengthening export potential, the sustainable development of rural areas, as well as the further development of the economy of the Union State. "First Forum of Regions of Russia and Belarus was successful. It is another step towards strengthening our alliance, the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. " Chairman of the Federation Council also noted that the Forum identified new areas of inter-regional cooperation between the regions of Belarus and the Russian Federation. "The Forum has shown that front we have a large legislative work. After all, it planned to implement, it is necessary to create an appropriate legal infrastructure. " Valentina Matviyenko said that the second regional forum held in 2015 in Russia. "Novgorod region, the nearest neighbor Belarus is ready to provide our Belarusian friends a warm welcome and prepare a meaningful program." Speaker of the Council of the Republic Anatoly Rubinov thanked the participants of the Forum for the constructive work of the informative presentations and reports. According to him, well chosen format of the event allows to expand direct contacts between the leaders of the regions, representatives of the government and the business community. He agreed with the Chairman of the Federation Council that serious work on improving the legal framework of the two countries, including in the field of interregional cooperation. The Forum considered the main directions of development of inter-regional cooperation between Belarus and Russia, and discussed the state of the key issues of cooperation in the field of agriculture, developed recommendations to facilitate a coordinated agrarian policy and food security within the Union State. Noting the strategic character of cooperation between the two states in the agro-industrial sector, the positive dynamics of trade in agricultural products and food, they have agreed to continue improving the legal framework of inter-regional cooperation, as well as to fill the existing agreements in the field of concrete economic and investment content. Panelists considered it important to develop new approaches to the development of agro-industrial complex, causing the use of the latest achievements of science in the production of agricultural technology, for sustainability of the agricultural sector to adverse natural and climatic factors and the financial and economic nature. The parties outlined the development of joint programs of the Union State for the application of modern methods of forecasting for optimizing production and consumption of agricultural products, increase its export potential.