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Economy
01 July 2019, 14:47

Call for tighter cooperation between small, medium businesses of Belarus, Germany

MINSK, 1 July (BelTA) – Time has come for bolder and more active efforts to advance interaction between small and medium businesses of Belarus and Germany. The opinion was expressed by Sergei Novitsky, Director General of SOOO Henkel Bautechnik, co-chairman of the Belarus-Germany non-governmental council for business cooperation, before the council's session at premises of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 1 July, BelTA has learned.

According to the source, Belarus-Germany relations have improved considerably at the political level and the macroeconomic one. It is necessary to translate these good relations to the level of the small and medium business. “I see the main prospects for our interaction and development in this,” Sergei Novitsky said. He encouraged government agencies to more actively use the available legal capabilities, to more boldly move towards joint interaction with enterprises and regions of Germany.

Sergei Novitsky described logistics, energy saving, information and communication technologies as the most promising areas of cooperation. He mentioned the great potential of the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone. The German company Duisport is one of the park's co-owners.

Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Ulakhovich mentioned effective work of the Belarus-Germany non-governmental council for business cooperation.

Belarus-Germany trade shows positive dynamics. In 2018 it reached $3.3 billion, 16% up from 2017. Belarus has a trade deficit, however, it is extremely difficult to balance it. Belarus imports primarily high-tech, innovative equipment from Germany. The growing volume of export of Belarusian services, primarily transportation and information and communication ones, helps reduce the trade deficit.

Germany has invested a lot in the Belarusian economy. Managing Director of the German Eastern Business Association (OAOEV) Ute Kochlowski-Kadjaia said that in 2018 the German government provided credit guarantees for various projects of German companies with Belarus to the tune of €170 million. “It is an absolutely record high number. It means the interest of the German economy in Belarus has increased considerably. We see an even larger potential in the Belarusian economy in the spheres of information technologies, mechanical engineering, environment, modern technologies for woodworking and logistics. Dynamics continues this year. We strongly hope we will be able to beat last year's results,” she said.

Ute Kochlowski-Kadjaia went on saying: “We believe that Belarus is one of the most economically undervalued countries in Europe. Europe and Germany in particular do not always see the potential available here. We would like to help them utilize it. Events like today's session of the council help with that.”

Taking part in the session of the Belarus-Germany non-governmental council for business cooperation were representatives of the Belarusian and German private sectors, representatives of the Belarusian ministries of foreign affairs, housing and utilities, the National Agency of Investment and Privatization, and the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They intended to discuss prospects of trade, economic, and investment cooperation of enterprises and organizations of Belarus and Germany, including interaction in the sphere of transport, effective usage of natural resources, and problems of bilateral cooperation and ways to resolve them.

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