MINSK, 12 January (BelTA) - Trade between Belarus and Russia’s Mordovia has doubled over the past three years, Head of the Republic of Mordovia Artyom Zdunov said in an interview to the First News TV channel, BelTA has learned.
“Our integration and friendship run so deep that it is hard to disentangle the economic, cultural, and educational sectors. We are united by brotherly bonds, a shared history, and a common worldview towards all matters, including international affairs. Therefore, strengthening our cooperation is an objective process. It does not even depend on us. People are drawn to each other,” Artyom Zdunov said.
He added that trade between Belarus and Mordovia has doubled in three years, and growth continues. The head of Mordovia highlighted the significant role of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko in strengthening the country’s ties with the Russian region. “He has a very deep understanding of industrial and agricultural matters. He gets to the very heart of issues,” the head of the Russian region said.
Artyom Zdunov mentioned the areas of cooperation with Belarus he considers most promising. “We rely on Belarus’ strong mechanical engineering and our strong component base. I respect Belarusian businesses for having managed to preserve the machine-tool industry in the country. This sector was almost completely eliminated practically everywhere in the former Soviet Union. Everyone started switching to foreign machine tools. But in Belarus, it was preserved. For us, this is a powerful component base. Therefore, concerning heavy carriage building, repair facilities, and radio electronics - we have major cooperation everywhere. We produce joint products,” he emphasized. As an example, the head of the Russian region cited cooperation in the production of elevators and refrigerators, work in the cable industry, and other areas.
He pointed out that there is a lot of Belarusian machinery in Mordovia. This interest is driven by its reliability. “We share a unified economic space. In this regard, there are no preferences. But we are won over by reliability. The question was raised about needing a service center and a training center. It has been established. Now we have a center where they teach maintenance, repair, and operation of machinery. When such centers and repair facilities, a component base, and a sufficient supply of spare parts are nearby, then why not buy the machinery? That’s why sales are growing,” said Artyom Zdunov.
The head of Mordovia also noted that cooperation with Belarus extends not only to the economic sector but also to preserving historical memory. “It is incredibly gratifying that we remember our history. But most importantly, we have a shared, correct understanding of what is happening around us now. We have a good project From the Brest Fortress to the Sura Frontier. We want to create such a tourist route. It will be of interest both to Belarus and to us. We also looked at the military-patriotic camps at the Brest Fortress. They are of a very high standard. We will send our young people there. We have equally interesting camps of our own, where we will invite children from Belarus,” he concluded.
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