The Governor of the Oryol Oblast about co-operation with Belarus: we find strength in unity

Andrei Evgenyevich, which projects have been successfully realised in economic and cultural cooperation with fraternal Belarus in 2024 and which projects are to be carried out next year?

- I never get tired of saying that the Republic of Belarus is a strategic partner of the Oryol region. It is already an axiom. The year 2024 was rich in business negotiations and interesting mutual projects. 

First of all, of course, it was a meeting with the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. We discussed the prospects of co-operation, outlined new directions in the agro-industrial complex, microelectronics, investment sphere.There was an initiative to increase comercial exchange, to create a National Seed Production Centre in the territory of Oryol Oblast, a multi-brand centre for supply, maintenance and sale of agricultural machinery of Gomselmash OJSC in cooperation with Belarusian partners. During the visit we tried to maximally present the potential of the Oryol Region and find new partners. In August 2024 a business trip of Oryol residents to Minsk took place. Producers of cereals, equipment for pig breeding, medical products made of rubber, security systems, products of wire. Oryol agricultural producers participated in the BELAGRO International Exhibition and in the International Wholesale Exhibition and Fair «Prodexpo-2024»  in Minsk.

This year we are also actively developing our cooperation with Brest.  At the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia an agreement between the Government of the Oryol Oblast and the Brest Oblast Executive Committee was signed. It aims to develop co-operation in trade, economic and investment spheres, agro-industrial complex, industry, construction, housing and communal services, education and science, culture, sports and tourism. In October in Brest we signed a roadmap for the development of our co-operation during 2024-2026. In 2025 we are expecting the Brest delegation to make a return visit.  The official delegations of Gomel and Brest will take part in the celebrations dedicated   to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Day of the City of Oryol. An «Hour with the Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Belarus» is scheduled for March 2025, and a business mission of the region's entrepreneurs to the Republic of Belarus will take place in May.

By the way, there is one area where we are in competition. It's in sports! This year we had a good «contest with each other».  We hosted Belarusian athletes at international archery competitions, the world championship and championship in hand-to-hand combat among men and women, all-Russian karate competitions «Oryol Cup». Our team travelled to the International draughts tournament among boys and girls «Young Stars», where the citizens of Oryol took the 2nd team place. At the International Football Tournament among veterans, dedicated to the Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus, our team came first.  In August with great success Oryol athletes performed at the Open Badminton Championship of Gomel and won 17 medals.  In 2025 there will also be a large sports programme.   

The brightest and most memorable are the mutual projects in the sphere of culture: holidays, tours of art groups. The Oryol Puppet Theatre has been giving performances in Brest for the last few years as part of the Belaya Vezha International Theatre Festival. In 2025, there are plans for an exchange tour with the Mogilev Regional Theatre of Puppets.The cast of the Oryol theatre «Free Space» has repeatedly travelled to the Republic of Belarus to take part in festivals, on tour in Grodno, Minsk,  Vitebsk and Gomel. In 2025, according to tradition, the theatre plans to participate in the IX International Youth Forum «M.@RTCONTACT».

For a certain number of years the theatres of the Republic of Belarus have become participants of the International Theatre Festival «Russian Classics», which takes place on the stage of the Oryol State Academic Theatre of I.S. Turgenev. We are waiting for the Brest Academic Drama Theatre of Lenin Komsomol of Belarus at the X anniversary festival in October-November 2025. Also in 2024 an Agreement on the organisation of mutual events between the State Literary and Memorial Museum of Yakub Kolas, the State Literary Museum of Yanka Kupala and the Oryol State United Literary Museum of Turgenev was signed.

A round table «The theme of the Great Patriotic War in the works of Oryol and Belarusian writers» and a travelling exhibition «Oryol Literary» are planned for 2025. The Oryol Museum of Local History with the participation of the Memorial Complex «Brest Fortress-Hero» will hold an exhibition «Memory Burnt by the War».

Negotiations on co-operation between the Oryol State Filarmony and Belarusian performers are in progress. In March 2025, a concert of piano music by Svetlana Kudina (Minsk), a laureate of international competitions, is planned. By the way, Natalia Kupriyanova- Apalkova, a soloist of the Oryol State Filarmony, has for many years been the artistic director and jury member of the International Orthodox Youth Festival «Odigitria» (Vitebsk), which brings together representatives of Orthodox youth organisations and people of goodwill who stand for Slavic unity and Christian values.  Belarusian talents successfully performed at the International Derbenko Folk Instrument Performers Competition: seven talented folk instrument performers were honoured with the titles of laureates. Taking into account such «demand» the Oryol College of Music is planning to hold in March 2025 the International Competition of Folk Instruments Ensembles and Orchestras «Melodies of Slavonic Soul».

Christmas and New Year holidays are just around the corner. It is a good tradition to exchange congratulations. What would you like to wish to Belarusians and Russians in the coming New Year?

- In our country, the outgoing year was declared the Year of Family by President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. The year 2025 will be the Year of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Year of Peace and Unity. The most important thing for every person is the prosperity of his or her homeland and well-being of the family. We have to live, create, build and develop, we have to fight for the justice. For this we all need strength, which we draw from unity, from the realisation of our spiritual, historical and human righteousness. I want to wish us peace, a decent and happy life! I wish our countries new victories!