MINSK, 27 June (BelTA) - Samara Oblast counts on the assistance of Belarus in solving the problems of the Russian automotive giant AvtoVAZ and its return to rhythmic work, Governor Dmitry Azarov said during a meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk on 27 June, BelTA has learn.
Dmitry Azarov noted that Samara Oblast and Belarus are expanding economic cooperation. "Our trade picked up good pace. We had good dynamics in the first quarter of this year, but then the difficulties that arose at AvtoVAZ had their say," he said. “Mr President, this is one of the topics of our visit. We sent the specifications from AvtoVAZ, the largest vehicle manufacturer in our country, over to our colleagues in advance. I am sure that we will find prospects for cooperation, which, on the one hand, will allow our auto giant to work steadily, and, on the other hand, will be profitable for Belarusian enterprises."
Talking to journalists after the meeting with the Belarusian leader, the governor said: "We continued the conversation on this topic [cooperation with AvtoVAZ], and the president gave instructions to take this issue very carefully, expand cooperation, increase the degree of localization of cars produced both in the Republic of Belarus and in the Russian Federation. There is a huge room for growth here."
According to him, the visit to Belarus was prepared for more than one week. “Together with the bilateral working commission on cooperation, we compiled a list of proposals and questions and sent it to Minsk in advance. We are grateful that our colleagues studied the issues and now during the two-day visit I expect that we will reach joint agreements," Dmitry Azarov said. The cooperation is expected to expand across a wide range of areas, including high technologies (cooperation between the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and Samara Oblast's leading universities and the scientific and educational center of engineering of the future), humanitarian matters and, of course, economy.
"I am sure that we will be able to restore and resume the cooperation ties that were once disrupted for various reasons. We understand how important this is for our countries," the governor stressed.
As it has been reported, after Renault left the Russian market, AvtoVAZ faced difficulties with the production of cars and was forced to reduce the working hours; some lines remain idle.
