The V Congress of Small Towns of the Diveevo Diveyevo Monastery. The jubilee forum brought together more than 200 participants, of whom over 100 were members of the Belarusian delegation.[1][5] The central theme of the meeting was the staffing of small towns and rural areas: the training and retention of specialists in the agro-industrial sector, local government, culture, sports, and tourism.[4]

History of the Forum

The Congress of Small Towns of the Nizhny Novgorod and Grodno Regions has been held since 2022 and by 2026 had become a regular platform for Russian-Belarusian interregional cooperation within the framework of the Union State. Previous congresses were hosted by: Vacha), Zelva (2023), Semyonov), Mosty (2025).[5] According to Regional Legislative Assembly Lyulin, over five years the project has traveled "from an experiment in Vacha to a format that the leaders of the Federation Council and the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus recommend scaling up."[3]

Participants and Panel Sessions

The delegations were led by the Chairman of the Regional Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Evgeny Lyulin, and the Chairman of the Grodno Regional Council of Deputies, Elena Pasyuta. The delegations included representatives of the executive and legislative branches, heads of municipalities and non-profit organizations, and experts in the agro-industrial sector, culture, tourism, and youth policy.[4]

Participants worked in four thematic panels: staffing of local government bodies; attracting young specialists to the agro-industrial sector; personnel policy in the fields of culture and tourism; and the role of youth in preserving historical and cultural heritage.[4] At the agro-industrial sector panel, the Nizhny Novgorod side presented a "seamless" system for training agricultural workers covering all levels — from preschools with mini-vegetable gardens to specialized universities.[1] Participants in the historical and cultural heritage panel tried decorative window-frame painting in the tradition of Arzamas craftsmen and took a walk through Arzamas's historic quarter.[5]

The forum's program included visits to enterprises in the Diveevsky and Arzamassky districts: Ardatovsky Agricultural Technical College, the Diveevskoe poultry enterprise, Blokhin, the Arzamas Foundry and Mechanical Plant "Start", the Arzamas Commercial and Technical College, and the Diveevo Children's Music School. The event concluded with an agro-industrial exhibition and fair in Arzamas.[6] Delegates also separately visited the "Russkoye Pole" poultry complex in Mikheyevka — a facility with 2.9 billion rubles in investment, a capacity of 295 million eggs per year, and 150 jobs.[1]

Outcomes and Agreements

Following the congress, eight agreements were signed between municipalities, educational institutions, and public organizations of the two countries.[2] Among the key documents is an agreement between KUPNO and Grodno Region on the transfer of best practices in developing the personnel capacity of local government bodies, as well as cooperation agreements between agricultural colleges of the two regions.[3]

The "Agricultural Employer Brand" award was established for companies with the best social benefit packages for employees living in small towns and villages.[3] Plans were made to create youth volunteer teams for the improvement of memorial sites in small towns of Russia and Belarus.[6] The Nizhny Novgorod side also agreed to share its experience in organizing and hosting the The History of Nizhny Novgorod ahead of Grodno's 900th anniversary in 2028.[3]

On the sidelines of the congress, United Russia and the Grodno regional branch of the party "Belaya Rus" signed an agreement on inter-party cooperation, the exchange of experience, and the implementation of joint projects.[2]

Senator of the Russian Federation Olga Shchetinina noted that the agreements signed "cover areas that are key for these territories: the training of personnel for municipal administration and the agro-industrial sector, youth cooperation, regional development, and the preservation of historical memory."[2]

Next Congress

The VI Congress of Small Towns is planned for 2027 in the Volkovyssky District of Grodno Region (the city of Volkovysk).[1][6]

Sources

  1. pravda.ru — The V Congress of Small Towns of the Nizhny Novgorod and Grodno Regions was held in Diveevo
  2. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — The jubilee V Congress of Small Towns of Russia and Belarus was held in Diveevo
  3. Vremya N — Eight agreements signed following the V Congress of Small Towns
  4. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Eight agreements signed following the V Congress of Small Towns
  5. Newsroom24 — Eight agreements signed at the Congress of Small Towns in Nizhny Novgorod Region
  6. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — United Russia and Belaya Rus signed a cooperation agreement