Evgeni Kasperovich: Belarus concludes most bilateral agreements with large Russian centers and regions

“Most Belarusian bilateral agreements are concluded with large Russian centers and regions”, said Evgeni Kasperovich, Head of the department for cultural and educational development at the board of socio-humanitarian policy of Information Analysis Center under Belarusian President's Administration, addressing the breakup group “Interregional cooperation” at the International Theoretical and Practical Conference “Pressing Problems of Union State Formation and Development”.

“Most Belarusian bilateral agreements are concluded with large Russian centers and regions”, said Evgeni Kasperovich, Head of the department for cultural and educational development at the board of socio-humanitarian policy of Information Analysis Center under Belarusian President's Administration, addressing the breakup group “Interregional cooperation” at the International Theoretical and Practical Conference “Pressing Problems of Union State Formation and Development”.

According to him, Moscow and Moscow region, St. Petersburg and Leningrad region as well as Northwestern Federal Okrug and some others rank high among them. Besides that, at present a fair quantity of agreements is being concluded with frontier Russian regions such as Bryansk, Kaliningrad Pskov and Smolensk ones. A lot of agreements and programmes of cooperation among large Belarusian and Russian cities and regions are being implemented now as well.

Subject area of these agreements is the development of cultural and educational relations, regulation of migration processes, rendering of medical assistance, implementation of joint programmes in tourism sphere and exchange of socio-humanitarian problem-solving experience.

For instance, last February Mogivel Regional Executive Committee and administration of Bryansk region signed an Agreement on Interregional Cooperation in the Sphere of Education. The document secures equal rights and opportunities for children from frontier districts of Mogilev and Bryansk regions when they choose which secondary school of the two frontier regions to study at or which college or university to enter.

In the year 2000 Brest Regional Executive Committee and prefecture of Western Administrative Okrug in Moscow entered into close cooperation.

Signed in March 2007, Policy actions seeking to develop trade and economic, scientific and technical, humanitarian and cultural as well as social cooperation for the years 2007-2009 served as a new impulse for intensification of cooperation. The document names 22 educational institutions in Moscow and Brest region which are to cooperate in such spheres as innovation activities in education, rehabilitation of problem children, excursion work, patriotic education, participation in joint cultural, sport and educational events.