Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh received the Belarusian Ambassador to Vietnam Ulazdimir Baravikou

During his visit to MONRE, Ambassador Baravikou expressed his pleasure at working in Vietnam and praised the ministry's recent achievements. He recalled the official visit of Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko to Vietnam in December 2023, highlighting the cooperation issues discussed by the leaders of the two countries. Mr. Baravikou noted that Belarus has significant expertise in advanced technologies for recycling and treating urban, industrial, and agricultural solid waste, especially in tire recycling.

Ambassador Baravikou also mentioned his discussions with leaders of the Hanoi People's Committee and the city's Department of Natural Resources and Environment, aiming to implement the bilateral friendship agreement for 2024-2026 between Minsk and Hanoi. He expressed a desire for MONRE to facilitate closer cooperation between the Belarusian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the Departments of Natural Resources and Environment in southern provinces.

Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh presented a gift to  Ambassador Ulazdimir Baravikou

Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh appreciated Belarus's interest in environmental protection. He emphasized that Vietnam currently generates about 60,000 tons of domestic waste daily, with urban waste comprising approximately 60%. The rate of domestic solid waste generation is projected to increase by 10-16% by 2025. Given the challenges of incomplete urban infrastructure and insufficient management capacity to meet urbanization demands, Vietnam urgently seeks to adopt modern waste treatment technologies that meet environmental standards and gradually replace outdated landfill methods. The Environmental Protection Law 2020 has introduced stricter regulations on waste classification, transportation, and treatment. MONRE is currently developing detailed decrees to address these issues.

Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh noted that cooperation between MONRE and Belarusian partners is still in the proposal stage, lacking specific bilateral activities that reflect the potential of both sides. To date, MONRE has signed only one Memorandum of Understanding in the field of geology with the Belarusian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection in 2017. He proposed that Belarus continue collaborating with MONRE to develop technical support for domestic solid waste treatment. The Department of International Cooperation has been designated as the focal point for sharing information on Belarusian enterprises' interests, while the Environmental Pollution Control Department will facilitate bilateral cooperation.

Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh expressed confidence that following the official visit of Prime Minister Golovchenko to Vietnam in December 2023, many cooperative activities will be initiated between the two countries, particularly in areas under MONRE's management./.

Ngoc Huyen