Alexander Kommandan: Minsk is ready to share experience in urban infrastructure development with Myanmar

Minsk and Naypyido are aimed at intensifying bilateral cooperation and developing long-term cooperation in the field of urban economy. This was discussed on September 17 at a working meeting of the First Deputy Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Alexander Komendant with the delegation of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar headed by Deputy Mayor of the Committee for Development of Naypyido Vin Mo Haing, the correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti”.

Outlining the possibilities of the city, A. Commandant presented the industrial, scientific and technical potential of the capital.

“I am sure that today’s meeting will help to agree on areas of further cooperation in a number of areas,” said the First Deputy Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee. The current Memorandum of Cooperation between Minsk and Naypyido will serve to further strengthen friendly relations, creating a solid foundation for the dynamic development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the long term.

During the meeting, the focus shifted to urban issues. Guests from Myanmar were interested in the municipal, engineering and transport infrastructure of the Belarusian capital, as well as the famous cleanliness of its streets, what methods and technologies it is achieved. The Belarusian side provided comprehensive explanations on issues of interest to foreign colleagues. In particular, the foreign side was told in detail about how utilities work, the wastewater and rainwater treatment system operates, as well as the organization of water consumption.

“Minsk has been completely transferred to water supply exclusively from underground artesian sources, which guarantees the supply of clean water to the homes of residents that meets the most stringent sanitary standards,” the Commandant said.

The increased interest of the delegation members was also caused by approaches to the management of solid municipal waste and the system of collecting secondary material resources built in Minsk. The guests were presented in detail the capital’s experience in organizing separate garbage collection, sorting and involving secondary raw materials in circulation, which significantly reduces the burden on the ecosystem.

In addition, the focus of foreign experts was the issues of the construction industry. Representatives of Myanmar were interested in the Minsk experience in the construction of facilities, including engineering features of the foundations in various types of soils, as well as technologies for the design, construction and reconstruction of bridges and overpasses in a busy metropolis.

Also, the subject topics of discussion were road construction, road repair technologies, the capabilities of the metro and the features of its development.

As noted during the talks, a large-scale program was prepared for foreign colleagues aimed at a detailed acquaintance with the best practices of the Belarusian capital. Representatives of Myanmar will visit Minskvodokanal, Gorremavtodor of the Minsk City Executive Committee, get acquainted with the construction of housing on the example of one of the sites of the city, and also see how the repair and maintenance of the road and street network are carried out in practice.

“The schedule of the visit is very tight, but if you do not have time to see absolutely all the planned facilities now, this will be a great reason to come to Minsk again,” the Commandant said.

Summing up the results of the negotiations and assessing the prospects for further rapprochement between the two states, the First Deputy Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee noted that Myanmar is an interesting country for Minsk, maybe not quite known, but very promising.

- Just a month ago, President of Myanmar Min Aung Hlain visited Belarus, identified specific goals and objectives, and today we are starting to implement them step by step at the level of the city authorities. It is gratifying to note that today’s dialogue with our Myanmar colleagues is absolutely constructive: they are interested in our opportunities for cleanliness, sanitation, housing construction and waste sorting. This is something that we are rightfully proud of and are ready to provide comprehensive assistance, the Commandant stressed.

Speaking to reporters, Vin Mo Haing said he was also pleased with the results of the talks:

- Belarus welcomed our president very warmly, we saw the landscaped Minsk streets and parks. Today we are here to study everything that distinguishes the Belarusian capital from other cities around the world. There are plans to implement this experience.

Photo by Denis Kulagi