MOGILEV, 24 May (BelTA) – The women's unions of Mogilev Oblast (Belarus) and Tula Oblast (Russia) have agreed to jointly develop entrepreneurial dimension. This is stipulated in the agreement on cooperation between the Tula regional public organization “Women's Union of Russia” and the Mogilev regional public organization “Belarusian Union of Women” signed in Mogilev on 23 May, BelTA has learned.

The starting point will be the participation in fairs which are organized by the Tula chamber of commerce twice a month. The parties intend to display, under the common brand, the products manufactured by women entrepreneurs, artisans and enterprises run by women.

“The Belarusian Union of Women implements social projects aimed at supporting families, including low-income families, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly. However, the current realities suggest that our organization should look into the issues of women's entrepreneurship,” said Marianna Shchetkina, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, Chairperson of the Belarusian Union of Women.

According to her, women now strive for financial independence. They realize themselves in business because not all employers can offer a flexible work schedule. For a successful start they need someone with a success story to give them tips as to where and how to move forward. “We took a decision to set up a female network at the Belarusian Union of Women to help the women wishing to start a business at every step of the way,” Marianna Shchetkina said. “In this respect, by participating in fairs Belarusian and Russian women will be able to get an exposure at an early stage, to show what they do. This is also a good opportunity to revive the tradition of making piece things such as lacemaking,” she noted.

The Tula delegation is in Mogilev Oblast on a two-day visit to get familiar with the Belarusian women's movement. The guests are scheduled to visit health, education, social and cultural facilities of the city of Mogilev and Shklov District.

By signing the cooperation agreement, the two sides also agreed to maintain regular contacts, regular exchange of information on the current activities, new ideas, plans and best practices and to coordinate their actions while participating in international events.

“When we talk about the Union State, the unity of the peoples of Belarus and Russia, we should not forget that an important component of this cooperation are not only agreements between enterprises or the legislatures. Cooperation between public associations is as important. In politics there are always differences. Steps are taken in order to find a consensus. Meanwhile women all over the world share the same interests: peace, health, family, kids, stability and security. All these values are the key to a strong mutually beneficial partnership at any level,” Marianna Shchetkina said.

She also stressed the importance of developing friendly relations at the regional level. “Today, women's organizations in practically all regions of our country are eager to establish close relations with similar associations in Russia. We are exploring many joint projects and ideas that we will definitely implement,” Marianna Shchetkina said.

BELARUSIAN NEWS