MINSK, 31 May (BelTA) – Members of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus met with the head of the representative office of Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in Belarus Andrei Dudkin, BelTA has learned.
The meeting was initiated by the Russian side. A presentation was arranged of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast's interest in directly buying Belarusian goods and services and possibilities for direct deliveries of products made by Nizhny Novgorod Oblast enterprises to Belarus.
Deputy Chairman of the Budget and Finance Commission of the House of Representatives Piotr Vabishchevich said: “Andrei Dudkin and I worked last year. We visited our enterprises. This is why the idea was born to arrange such an untraditional event at premises of the House of Representatives for the sake of integrating our manufacturers by leveraging the experience of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. The leadership of the chamber backed the idea.”
In his words, looking into matters concerning the expansion of economic ties is the idea. “Today we will receive information from the head of the representative office of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast about what the oblast wants to get from Belarusian manufacturers, about what goods and services they are interested in,” the MP noted. “Secondly, we will get information about what Nizhny Novgorod Oblast enterprises can supply to Belarus. And the colleagues, who represent all the regions of our country, will hear this information. They will be able to ask clarifying questions about the practical realization of fast contacts, about how our manufacturers can be matched. As they work in their constituencies, we will be able to get feedback in June and will be able to very tightly interact then.”
Piotr Vabishchevich continued: “Our country is an export-oriented one. Over 65% of the output is exported. Sanctions have been enforced against Belarus and Russia. This is why naturally much of the European Union market has been lost to us. We need to address a lot of issues relating to import substitution. This is why it is a unique chance for very tight work not only with Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. We will take a broader look at things in order to bolster our economic ties.”
