The events of the 64th session of the Parliamentary Assembly took place today in Vitebsk. Among the participants were representatives of the Standing Committee of the Union State, the Committee of State Control of the Republic of Belarus, the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, as well as permanent observers at the Parliamentary Assembly.
Before the meeting began, the session participants, led by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia, Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, and the Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko, laid flowers and wreaths at the memorial to the liberator soldiers on Victory Square.
The session meeting was held at the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. The agenda included issues of the Union State budget execution, activities for preserving historical memory, and a "government hour" dedicated to the functioning of the unified transport system.
The Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Subbotin, welcomed the union parliamentarians and took part in the discussion.
Vladimir Andreichenko noted that the choice of the meeting venue was not accidental. The Vitebsk region is not only a symbol of indomitable will and heroic struggle against fascism during the Great Patriotic War. It is also a vivid example of building mutually beneficial trade and economic ties, close interregional cooperation, and, undoubtedly, the spiritual unity of our peoples. The annual "Slavianski Bazaar" festival is a clear confirmation of this.
– It should be acknowledged that, despite the colossal efforts undertaken by the USA and its allies to isolate and economically strangle Belarus and Russia, they have not achieved significant results. The governments are consistently implementing measures to ensure sustainable socio-economic development. Intensive work continues on the implementation of 28 Union programmes. Currently, over 77 percent of the total tasks envisaged by the Union programmes have been completed. 10 programmes have been fully implemented. The trade turnover between Belarus and Russia reached approximately 50 billion dollars last year. A positive trend is also maintained this year.
The Speaker noted that the deputies have created a mechanism for parliamentary control over the progress of Union construction. The practice of holding "Government Hour" has been expanded. Today, at the session, problematic issues in the transport sector, which prevent the full functioning of the transport system of the Union State, will be considered in detail.
– We are still concerned about the issues of coordinating the terms for cabotage transportation between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, tariffs and fees for air navigation and airport services, and the deadlines for transitioning to permit-free road transport. We would like to receive not only specific answers to these and other questions today but also to see what else the deputy corps, together with the executive authorities, needs to do to further improve cooperation in the transport sector.
Vladimir Andreichenko expressed confidence that the 64th session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia will be held in a business-like, constructive atmosphere and will allow for the development of practical solutions aimed at strengthening further comprehensive cooperation and partnership between Belarus and Russia.
Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by
