Eurasian Media Studies Center

On June 28, at the X Forum of the Regions of Russia and Belarus in Ufa, the Head of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Valery Falkov and Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Ivanets discussed key areas of cooperation between countries in the scientific field.

At the meeting, they discussed the development of the Strategy for the scientific and technical program of the Union State – the supra-state entity of Russia and Belarus. The main goals of the Strategy are the formation of a unified scientific and educational space, the creation of mechanisms for the functioning of a unified infrastructure and legal framework.

“For the Union State, the priority is the scientific potential development. We are bringing our own technologies to a new level in microelectronic, mechanical engineering, information technology, and industry spheres. We believe that this will launch the initiatives in areas of mutual interest, in particular, fundamental research in the field of genetics, the peaceful use of atomic energy, as well as nuclear medicine,” said Valery Falkov.

The Minister of Education of Russia drew attention to the fact that the draft Strategy for the Scientific and Technological Development of the Union State is now ready for signing.

In addition, Valery Falkov and Andrei Ivanets discussed the launch of new scientific and technical programs: the Congress of Young Scientists of Belarus and Russia and the III Congress of Young Scientists, which will be held on November 28-30 in Sirius.

The Minister of Education of Belarus also stressed the importance of supporting talented young scientists within the Union State.

“Last year, at the joint board, decisions were worked out on the establishment of prizes in the field of science and technology of the Union State for youth. I am sure that within the existing adult award, we can make a separate nomination for young scientists.  This will be an important step,” Andrei Ivanets emphasized.

In the context of the Union State, it is also important to preserve historical memory and counteract the falsification of history.

“The youth of the Union State can create a foundation for understanding the historical commonality of our truth that exists between Belarusians and Russians. This is about, for example, a visit to iconic places (Brest Fortress, Khatyn, Buinichsky Field, Rzhev Memorial and many others),” Andrei Ivanets stressed the importance of developing the historical and cultural activities of the Union State.

Valery Falkov and Andrei Ivanets touched upon the issue of signing a new Intergovernmental Agreement on the conditions for the activities of the Belarusian-Russian University in Mogilev. Also at the forum, more than 20 cooperation agreements were signed between the universities of the two countries.

The heads of departments paid special attention to the issues of admission of Russian graduates to Belarusian universities and Belarusian schoolchildren to Russian universities.

“Now more than 6 Belarusian universities are implementing about 17 educational programs in Russia. The potential that we have is largely undiscovered by students from Russia. 13 thousand students from Belarus study in Russia. Belarus is fully prepared to accept exactly the same number of Russian students on a parity basis,” Andrei Ivanets said.

Of the 13,000 Belarusian students studying in Russia, more than 2,000 study under the quota of the Russian Federation’s Government.

“Training qualified personnel is the basis for the development of any state. Russia seeks to simplify as much as possible the rules for the admission of Belarusian citizens who would like to get higher education in the Russian Federation. And a lot has been done in this direction,” said Valery Falkov. Concluding his speech, the Minister of Education of Russia emphasized that the countries are aimed at productive work in the spirit of brotherhood and mutual understanding.

Photo source: Aglaya Kovaleva