Ambassador: Belarus and Russia have same positions on bilateral and international issues

Belarus and Russia hold the same positions on bilateral and international issues, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus Boris Gryzlov told the media after a meeting with Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova in Minsk on 25 April, BelTA has learned.

"It was a meeting of like-minded people. I think that's the main impression. I would say that the notion that we have similar positions is a thing of the past. We simply have the same positions on all issues of bilateral and international relations within the framework of international organizations," Ambassador Boris Gryzlov noted.

The preparation for the Forum of the Regions of Belarus and Russia, which will be held in Grodno on 23-24 June, were discussed during the meeting. "This is the most important event. Work in underway on contracts, on agreements on humanitarian cooperation. This will be a very big event," the ambassador said. “We discussed the issues of education, mutual exchange of students. The Russian Federation has significantly increased the number of state-funded places in Russian universities for Belarusian students. Starting September 1,100 Belarusian students will be enrolled into budged-financed places in Russian universities. This is 1,5 times more than in the current academic year. We discussed the upcoming anniversary date - the 250th anniversary of the reunification of the Belarusian lands with the Russian Empire, which marked the end of the Polish oppression. We are planning events to celebrate this date. And, of course, we discussed the interaction in the legislative field, the bills that will be adopted in the Republic of Belarus following the additions and amendments to the Constitution.”