MINSK, 31 March (BelTA) — The fact that Belarus will host an international congress of the Association of Space Explorers testifies to the country's recognition by the world, Piotr Vityaz, Head of the Office in the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, told BelTA.

He reminded that Belarus had been recognized by the UN as a space-faring nation and had worked on space projects with other organizations on the international level. "The fact that Belarus will host an international congress of the Association of Space Explorers once again testifies to the recognition of our country by the world," Piotr Vityaz said.

The Head of the Office of the National Academy of Sciences said that the opportunity to host such a congress is rather important for any country because it gathers cosmonauts from all over the world. They discuss future of cosmonautics and space technology. "Space exploration is experiencing a boom in many countries across the globe. The development of remote sensing satellites is under discussion as well as the exploration of outer space and the planets where manned stations can be established, for example on the Moon and on Mars. This sounds unbelievable, but every new technology looked fantastic in its time," he said.

The international congress of the Association of Space Explorers will take place in Belarus in September 2018. This decision was made during the meeting of the Association of Space Explorers in Toulouse, France. This will be the 31st congress on record. The congress gathers outstanding cosmonauts and astronauts, representatives of research institutions and national space agencies every year.