MINSK, 21 December (BelTA) – Belarus and Kemerovo Oblast of Russia signed a plan of joint events for 2017-2018, BelTA learned from the press service of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry of Belarus.
The document was signed by Belarus' Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Andrei Kovkhuto and First Deputy Governor of Kemerovo Oblast Vladimir Chernov. When implementing the plan, the parties will focus on improving delivery of quarry machinery and promoting joint work on its production and testing. Belarus is ready to supply Kemerovo Oblast with machinery of different kinds – rock haulers, cargo trucks, agricultural machinery, elevators, tractors, tractor units, electrobuses and other vehicles.
During his visit to Kemerovo Oblast, Andrei Kovkhuto is set to meet with representatives of the business community and to visit local enterprises, the press service informed. The increase in mutual trade between Belarus and Kemerovo Oblast is among the key issues on the agenda of the Belarusian minister's visit. “Despite the deliberate work of the relevant agencies, the mutual trade between Belarus and Kemerovo Oblast went down significantly. In January-September 2016 the trade totaled $152 million, down 21.4% from the same period of 2015. The Belarusian export shrank by 15.5% down to $127.1 million, the import also declined and reached $24.9 million,” Andrei Kovkhuto noted during his visit.
To rectify the situation additional actions are needed on the part of the relevant agencies in Belarus and Kemerovo Oblast. There is also a need for measures to bolster ties between business communities, and to extend the range of services provided by Belarusian and Russian businesses, the Belarusian minister believes.
“The coordinated efforts of the two countries, including at the level of the regions, are important as never before today,” Andrei Kovkhuto thinks. “We can boost trade by extending the range of mutually delivered goods, increasing the share of hi-tech products, establishing new cooperation ties, joint ventures, and by engaging businesses in targeted social and economy programs.”
Andrei Kovkhuto expressed hope for new contacts and new advancements in the cooperation between Belarus and Kemerovo Oblast of Russia.
