MINSK, 7 February (BelTA) - Belarus and Russia’s Kamchatka Territory outlined priorities for cooperation at the second meeting of the working group on cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and Russia’s Kamchatka Territory held in Minsk on 6 February, BelTA has learned.
The meeting was attended by Belarusian Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Aleksei Bogdanov, who is the Belarusian government point man for cooperation with Kamchatka Territory, and Yulia Morozova, Deputy Chairwoman of the Government of Kamchatka Territory.
According to Yulia Morozova, Belarus and Russia's Kamchatka Territory have long-standing good trade and economic relations. "The people of Kamchatka know and love tasty Belarusian food. I believe that trade is one of the most promising areas of cooperation. Trade in non-food products is virtually non-existent, and we know and respect Belarusian light industry products, cosmetics," she said.
Belarus and the Russian region also have a long history of cooperation in the fishing industry. "We have reliable and long-standing partners such as Santa Bremor. We know that Belarus needs to increase the supply of raw fish, both white fish and the famous Kamchatka salmon," Yulia Morozova noted. “Companies in the Russian region are ready to supply Belarus with fish products, including ready-made ones.
The deputy chairwoman also highlighted the good prospects for the tourism sector. "Today it is the fastest growing industry in the region. We are waiting for Belarusian tourists. We already have some experience as we concluded agreements with Belarusian tour operators. The people of Kamchatka also appreciate Belarus's potential in tourism, including resort tourism," she added.
Yulia Morozova stressed that Kamchatka is also interested in Belarusian engineering goods. "We have been using Belarusian farm machines and utility vehicles for many years and are ready to purchase more. Today, in the light of sanctions, our mining industry needs supplies," she said.
Aleksei Bogdanov, for his part, noted that over the past two years the trade between Belarus and Kamchatka Territory has more than tripled. "This is a big leap. Belarusian exports are growing (by 30% in 2023)," the minister said. “Our agricultural products such as meat, tinned meat, sausages, cheese, dairy products are popular. We also supply machinery for farmers and also road, utility and passenger vehicles. We intend to expand our cooperation on this front.”
Logistics was also discussed in detail during Kamchatka Territory’s delegation's visit to Belarus. "This is the most remote region of the Russian Federation, where our cargoes travel by rail for about 30 days, which is very long. We cannot deliver food products because of the shelf life. This is why the issue of developing trade via the Northern Sea Route was given so much attention. This will speed up our mutual deliveries and we will work on this in the coming period," he said.
During the meeting, the agreement on twinning and cooperation between Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky District and the administration of Zavodsky District of Minsk was signed. The parties also singed the minutes of the joint meeting of the working group on cooperation between Belarus and Kamchatka Territory of the Russian Federation.
Aleksei Bogdanov noted that after the signing of the final document the work will begin on the development of a roadmap for the next four years. Taking into account the meetings with the head of state, the document will embrace cooperation in the new areas that will help increase mutual presence. The main focus will be on trade in food products and cheaper logistics. "Work in this direction is already underway with some companies," he stressed.
A number of talks between Belarusian and Kamchatka business communities were held on the sidelines of the event.
