Expert Discussion “Russia and Belarus: Post-Pandemic Future”

On June 4, 2020, Andrey Gromyko Association of Foreign Policy Studies, with the support of the Permanent Committee of the Union State, held an expert discussion on the topic “Russia and Belarus: Post-Pandemic Future”.

On June 4, 2020, Andrey Gromyko Association of Foreign Policy Studies, with the support of the Permanent Committee of the Union State, held an expert discussion on the topic “Russia and Belarus: Post-Pandemic Future”.

The discussion focused on issues related to the state and prospects of Russia-Belarus integration project. What is needed for the preservation and development of the Union State? What competitive advantages do our countries and the Union have on global arena? What are the outcomes of the Union’s response to coronacrisis? What will help overcome the new economic recession: large-scale infrastructure and industrial projects, deepening cooperation in healthcare, education and other areas, increasing the role of scientific and technological interaction? What are the consequences of the growing conflict in international relations, the deepening confrontation between the United States and China for our countries and for the Union? How to avoid being drawn into this confrontation? What public and other institutions are necessary to mitigate difficulties in the development of allied relations? How can the Union avoid damage caused by fake news, sensation-seeking, the prevalence of negative trends in social media? How can Belarus and Russia increase mutual attractiveness in the humanitarian sphere?

The event was attended by about a hundred officials, diplomats, businessmen, international experts, public figures from Russia and Belarus. The speakers included a number of RIAC members: Alexey Gromyko, Director of RAS Institute of Europe; Grigory Rapota, State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus; Igor Ivanov, RIAC President; and Dmitry Mezentsev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Belarus. RIAC members Andrei Klepach, Yevgeny Primakov, Evgeny Kozhokin, and Andrey Kortunov also took part in the discussion.