MINSK, 4 April (BelTA) – Oslo hosted a meeting of the mixed Belarus-Norway commission on international highroad services on 2-3 April following a 17-year break, BelTA learned from the Belarusian embassy in Sweden.
The Belarusian delegation led by head of the Automobile and Urban Passenger Transport Department of the Transport and Communications Ministry Sergei Dubina exchanged information on bilateral trade and its transport services with Norwegian counterparts. The parties also discussed cargo and passenger transportation between the two countries.
“Based on mutual interest in further expansion of bilateral trade, the parties agreed on annual road haulage permit quotas. The conditions developed by the commission are most favorable for the maintenance of existing and future cargo flows by Belarusian and Norwegian transport companies in compliance with the highest environmental standards,” the embassy said.
Apart from representatives of the Association of International Road Carriers and domestic transport companies, the Belarusian delegation also included Belarusian Ambassador to Norway (on concurrent accreditation) Dmitry Mironchik.
Norway is Belarus' leading trade and economic partner among the Scandinavian countries. In 2018, the Belarusian-Norwegian trade amounted to $305.3 million (up 3.6% compared to 2017). Belarusian exports exceeded $147.2 million (up 17.5%). In January-February 2019, the growth of sales continued. The mutual trade reached $46.5 million, which is up 5% from the same period of 2018. Exports to Norway increased to $27.6 million (up 7.9%). Belarus' main exports include potash fertilizers, rapeseed oil, and hot-rolled non-alloy steel rods.
