MINSK, 15 July (BelTA) – It is absolutely feasible to double trade between the Chuvash Republic and Belarus, Head of Russia’s Chuvash Republic Oleg Nikolayev told reporters following his meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 15 July, BelTA has learned.
“Undoubtedly, we have the wherewithal to make this happen. In my opinion, the agreements that we have reached and will reach during our visit Belarus will allow us to achieve or even overachieve this task,” the head of the Russian region believes.
A reminder, Aleksandr Lukashenko said that the Chuvash Republic is still a new but very promising partner for Belarus. “In 2023, the trade amounted to only $122 million. In 2022 it was about the same. I think we should double the trade following this visit,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.
The meeting focused on interaction in manufacturing, transport, mechanical engineering, agriculture, construction and healthcare, as well as humanitarian matters.
Oleg Nikolayev told reporters that the Chuvash Republic and Belarus have already built solid cooperation ties, first of all, in mechanical engineering, which is important for ensuring the technological sovereignty of the two states.
“One of the main tasks for us today is to ensure technological sovereignty in all areas, including in the field of food security. We have agreed to identify and explore new points of growth that would play to each other's strengths. The key objective is to develop new products that will be in demand tomorrow, that will ensure our sovereignty, both technological and otherwise, and will allow us to successfully compete in this volatile market,” emphasized Oleg Nikolayev.
The Chuvash Republic is known for its well-developed chemical industry and electrical engineering.
It is necessary to tap into new areas of cooperation, like the construction industry and design, and production of building materials. Cooperation in public health and rehabilitation is also very promising.
“We, like Belarus, want to meet our needs for all kinds of machinery. In particular, the Chuvash Republic has developed state-of-the-art weaving machines that successfully compete with all similar products made by world-class manufacturers. Today our Belarusian colleagues are testing them,” Oleg Nikolayev remarked.
There is a need to seriously build up competencies in the field of metalworking.
Oleg Nikolayev also spoke about plans to cooperate with Belarus in the production of tractors: “We are not talking about the production of those tractor models that are already on the market, but about the development of completely new types of tractors for various operations, that will be in demand in the market in the near future “We are very closely monitoring changes in customer expectations and preferences. We analyze what kind of tractors are bought, including tractors imported from unfriendly countries.”
“At the same time, we must not forget about such an important aspect of cooperation as humanitarian contacts. These are culture, education and science, including patriotic education. Here we have agreed to continue this work, and an important element of it will be the celebration of Victory in the Great Patriotic War,” added the head of the region.
