MINSK, 18 June (BelTA) – The Shklov-based newsprint mill RUP Zavod Gazetnoi Bumagi intends to sign a contract in June for the sale of 12 wooden prefabricated houses. The relevant agreement was reached during a videoconference held to discuss peculiarities of the export of Belarusian construction materials to Sweden, representatives of the National Marketing Center of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told BelTA.
The videoconference was organized by the National Board of Trade of Sweden and the Belarusian embassy in Sweden. Director of the National Marketing Center Valery Sadokho, Ambassador of Belarus to Sweden Dmitry Mironchik, Ambassador of Sweden to Belarus Christina Johannesson, President of the Association of Swedish Building Materials Merchants Monica Bjork, representatives of the Belarusian timber, woodworking, pulp and paper industry concern Bellesbumprom, experts of the National Board of Trade of Sweden, and representatives of over 30 Belarusian companies and organizations took part in the videoconference.
During the conference it was noted that Sweden is an important trade partner of Belarus in Europe. Belarus-Sweden trade exceeds $150 million. According to Valery Sadokho, Belarusian companies should put more efforts into exploring new niches on the European market.
Dmitry Mironchik said he believes that there is a significant potential for exporting repair and construction goods. The diplomat noted that the Swedish leadership had stated an ambitious goal of building 700,000 new apartments by 2025 in order to resolve the problem of housing shortage. Belarusian reinforcing bars are well-known in Sweden. Work is in progress with the Belarusian steel mill BMZ to increase shipments. Shipments of Belarusian ceramic tiles to Sweden began this spring. Belarusian windows and garage doors are well-known in Scandinavia. A Belarusian manufacturer of reinforced concrete panels built its first single-family house in Stockholm. There are also certain prospects for exporting heat insulation materials of major Belarusian manufacturers, Dmitry Mironchik said.
