Plans for Belarus-Russia scientific cluster at BelNPP announced

MOGILEV, 10 November (BelTA) – There are plans to set up the Belarusian-Russian scientific cluster on the basis of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelNPP), Grigory Rapota, a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, told the media after the meeting of the Energy and Transport Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia in Mogilev on 10 November, BelTA has learned.

According to Grigory Rapota, the two countries have a great potential for cooperation in the energy sector. Launch of the Belarusian nuclear power plant gives the state two great opportunities: additional energy and development of science in the nuclear industry. The Union State Standing Committee is working on the development of a scientific cluster on the basis of the Belarusian nuclear power plant.

Speaking about the impact of deeper integration and Union State programs on the quality of life of citizens, Grigory Rapota stressed that this issue is always high on the agenda. “Any program we are considering and any event we hold should certainly be seen through the eyes of people of Belarus and Russia. Everything we do is aimed at making their life more comfortable. When we talk about transport, all the activities within the framework of the Union State and the Eurasian Economic Union are designed to accelerate the movement of goods, which will make them cheaper for consumers. It makes a fundamental difference whether goods are transported within 20 days or five days,” he stressed.

He stressed that the programs of the Union State create innovative products that are unmatched in the world. This is a real contribution to the development of scientific thought. The next stage is commercialization. All this finds application in various areas of life.

When talking about the joint joints to counter the sanctions policy of the West, Grigory Rapota stressed that these difficulties makes us stronger "as in life (both on a personal level and on a societal level). The more difficulties we face, the more we collect ourselves. We pull ourselves together and think about how to survive in this situation," he said. “This is the only way to acquire stability and achieve success. It's the same in international events. When I hear people complaining that ‘time is not right for this or that thing' I disagree. Time is just right. For example, today the commission is engaged in improvement of transport infrastructure in order to facilitate people's communication with each other. It takes a train from St. Petersburg 13 hours to get to Minsk, and this is not right. This does not correspond to the modern level of transport and is due to our internal problems, not external threats. We have to work on such things even harder now than before, when there were fewer external threats."

Grigory Rapota stressed that it is important to hold such events not only in the capital cities, but also in the regions.

"Metropolitan officials keep in touch, they understand each other and the essence of our activities well," he stressed. “We need to raise awareness about such things in the regions. Success of any enterprise and organization lies not in how well the manager understands the ultimate goal, but how much all participants in the process understand it and their role in it. Therefore, the regions need to be involved in these issues."