VITEBSK, 18 September (BelTA) – Enterprises of Vitebsk Oblast have signed almost 150 contracts with their Russian partners this year, BelTA learned from the economy committee of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee.
The contracts signed in the run-up to the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia are worth a total of $42.4 million.
In June 2020, the Kursk Oblast Administration (Russia) and the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee signed a plan of action for 2020-2023 to the agreement on cooperation in trade, economy, science, social affairs, and culture of 18 July 2019. Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast and the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee are also getting ready to sign an agreement on cooperation in trade, economy, science, culture, humanitarian and social affairs.
Products made in Vitebsk Oblast are well-known in all Russian federal districts and are supplied to 75 regions of Russia. In January-July 2020, trade with Russian regions totaled $1 billion, with export of Vitebsk Oblast at $462.2 million. Consumer goods, mainly food, non-food, and agricultural products, made up the bulk of the export. Vitebsk Oblast exported $122 million worth of food products to Russia.
The economy committee also spoke about the most popular products. It noted that in H1 the region increased shipments of jam and fruit jelly, water and drinks, cosmetic products, joinery, flax fabric, garments, headwear, construction bricks, fluid pumps, harvesting equipment and machinery, electrical transformers, monitors and video projectors, medical devices, and other goods.
Vitebsk Oblast main partners among Russian regions are the Central Federal District (its share in total trade was 64.8%) and the Northwestern Federal District (12%). Neighboring Pskov Oblast and Smolensk Oblast are traditionally among the top ten regions that together account for about 70% of Vitebsk Oblast export to Russia.
At present, there are more than 350 organizations with Russian capital in Vitebsk Oblast. The region has signed and successfully carries out 25 cooperation agreements with administrations of Russian regions. District and city executive of Vitebsk Oblast have concluded 112 interregional documents on cooperation in various fields.
“Active cooperation between enterprises of Vitebsk Oblast and their Russian partners and modern approaches to organization of technological processes that rely on a careful marketing policy help maintain and expand dealer networks of such companies as Belwest, NatiVita, Vitebsk Carpets, Vityas, Fortex, Alianceplast, and Marko. There are also many companies that successfully promote their products on the Russian market, for example, Vitebsk Aerial Platforms, Energokomplekt, Polymerconstruction, Vitba, and others,” the economic committee stressed.
The 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia will take place in Minsk Oblast and Minsk on 28-29 September. At the 6th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia in 2019, economic entities of Vitebsk Oblast signed more than 30 contracts worth $40.6 and several cooperation agreements with Russian companies.
