The 72nd session of the joint board of the Union State Committee on Hydrometeorology and Environmental Pollution Monitoring kicked off in Brest on 24 November, BelTA has learned.

The participants of the meeting are discussing a wide range of issues related to cooperation between the state meteorological services of Belarus and Russia. The members of the delegations are considering the draft concept of the Union State Hydrometeorology and Related Fields Program for 2022-2026 and summed up the interim results of the hydrometeorological security program. Attention is also paid to the tasks set for the national hydrometeorological services, including the organization of radiation monitoring, development and modernization of hydrological information systems.

Attending the meeting are representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, the Union State Standing Committee, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus, the executive authorities and academia of the two countries.

Opening the meeting Belarus' First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Boleslav Pirshtuk said that over the years the two services have built a professional and stable relationship and accumulated a lot of positive experience. All this helps the two countries build a unified hydrometeorological policy in the European part of the continent. “We are grateful to our Russian colleagues who share their materials and developments. Of course, this enriches our system,” he said.

Igor Shumakov, head of the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet), chairman of the joint board of the Union State Committee on Hydrometeorology and Environmental Pollution Monitoring, stated that for more than a quarter of a century scientists from Belarus and Russia have been actively consolidating their capabilities and developing their experience in an effort to study the complex hydrometeorological processes that negatively affect not only the environment but also the population, business and the economy.

“We highly appreciate Belarus' participation and welcome cooperation on an equal basis to solve all those issues and tasks that we discuss and solve together today. Belhydromet and Roshydromet have been doing a great job,” said Igor Shumakov.

The meeting of the joint board of the Union State Committee on Hydrometeorology and Environmental Pollution Monitoring will continue on 25 November.

Written by belta.by