MOSCOW, 5 February (BelTA) – Promising avenues for tighter cooperation between Belarus and Russia's Republic of Tatarstan were discussed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Russia Vladimir Semashko met with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Industry and Trade of Tatarstan Albert Karimov, BelTA has learned. The meeting took place at premises of OOO TPK MTZ-Tatarstan in the city of Yelabuga on 5 February.
Vladimir Semashko thanked Albert Karimov for the close attention the latter pays to matters of cooperation between Tatarstan and Belarus. The ambassador stressed that agreements on Belarus-Tatarstan cooperation reached during the visit of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov to Belarus in December 2019 and the protocol of the seventh session of the working group on Belarus-Tatarstan cooperation represent an important mechanism that contributes to efforts to increase mutual trade.
Trade figures vividly demonstrate results of the joint efforts. Bilateral trade was close to $1.3 billion in conditions of a complicated economic situation in 2018. It increased by 7.6% from 2017. Moreover, it set a new record from 2013, Vladimir Semashko stated. Although in 2019 Belarus-Tatarstan trade dynamics dropped to $1.2 billion, the two sides still have the potential for overcoming this negative trend and raising bilateral trade past $2 billion per annum, the diplomat believes.
According to Vladimir Semashko, cooperation in the manufacturing sector has been and is the foundation of Belarus-Tatarstan cooperation. Manufacturing cooperation between petrochemical enterprises, which account for about 50% of mutual trade, is the key branch of cooperation. Cooperation also successfully develops in the sphere of mechanical engineering, primarily deliveries of tractors, passenger vehicles, and agricultural machines, Vladimir Semashko remarked.
Tractors made by the Belarusian company MTZ represent nearly 60% of Tatarstan's tractors. Over 60% of the local forage harvesters and 40% of the grain harvesters have been made by Belarusian Gomselmash. The share of MAZ buses and Belkommunmash trams exceeds 50% in the fleet of passenger vehicles in the city of Kazan. The Belarusian company OAO BATE also supplies automobile components to KamAZ assembly lines.
According to the ambassador, there are good prospects for cooperation in the sphere of gas engines. Joint projects being implemented by the company RariTEK in association with MAZ, MTZ, and MMZ in the sphere of passenger transport, tractor and engine manufacturing were mentioned. The sides also discussed the implementation of the project designed to set up a Belarus-Tatarstan industrial cluster using the infrastructure of TPK MTZ-Tatarstan Company.
Vladimir Semashko also presented keys to five MAZ heavy trucks to drivers of the transportation and logistics hub TPK MTZ-Tatarstan.
Enterprises assembling Belarusian MTZ tractors and Mogilevliftmash lifts operate in Tatarstan. Four enterprises with a share of Belarusian capital operate in Tatarstan as well. Those are OOO TPK MTZ-Tatarstan, OOO Amkodor-Bel, OOO Molodechnomebel Trading House, and a representative office of the furniture manufacturer Pinskdrev. A dealership chain sells products made by Belarusian Gomselmash, MTZ, Mogilevliftmash, MAZ, Amkodor, and BATE.
OOO TPK MTZ-Tatarstan is the official distributor of OAO MTZ in Russia. The company offers aftersales service and has its own storage and supply facilities. It also has its own transportation and logistics division. The company has sold over 15,000 tractors in Russia since 2003.
