MINSK, 2 March (BelTA) – Companies from Belarus and Kazakhstan are set to sign contracts worth $200 million, Deputy Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Kairat Torebayev told reporters on 2 March, BelTA has learned.
“We have brought a pretty big delegation to Belarus. It includes representatives of mechanical engineering, forestry and textile industries as well as producers of foodstuffs. We have plans to sign contacts worth about $200 million. From the statistical point of view, this is quite a figure, because Belarus-Kazakhstan trade amounted to $763 million last year. This year we want to increase bilateral trade by nearly a third, after all, last year we did not come even close to implementing the existing potential,” the vice minister said.
Kairat Torebayev emphasized that Belarus and Kazakhstan are strategic partners. “We make part of the same customs territory and we have things to offer to each other. Belarusian goods sell well in Kazakhstan. Your foodstuffs are very popular there, including dairy and meat products. We know that Belarusian products are synonymous to quality and safety,” he said.
Speaking about cooperation in manufacturing, the vice minister noted that this economic sector holds a lot of promise. “We have already started manufacturing products like transformers, cables, leather. However, we need to explore new avenues of cooperation. We view Belarus as a gateway to the markets of Eastern and Central Europe,” Kairat Torebayev said.
