GOMEL, 22 May (BelTA) – Prospects of advancing mutually beneficial cooperation between Gomel Oblast and Russia’s Magadan Oblast were discussed as Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee Ivan Krupko met with a delegation of Russia’s Magadan Oblast led by Governor Sergey Nosov, BelTA has learned.
Ivan Krupko noted that Russia is the main partner in economic and social affairs for Gomel Oblast. Nearly 600 Gomel Oblast enterprises sell their products to Russia. Gomel Oblast products are exported to over 70 Russian regions.
The head of the Gomel Oblast administration said that Gomel Oblast has rich natural resources. Major industrial enterprises are also present in the area. However, the lack of direct railway service is an important factor in efforts meant to improve interaction between the two regions. “Logistics is a matter that needs serious work,” Ivan Krupko emphasized.
“We are interested in finding contacts in all cooperation avenues,” he stressed. Food is one of the avenues Gomel Oblast producers are ready to explore. They are ready to sell food, in particular, meat products and dairy products to Magadan Oblast. “All of them are made and processed in our oblast. We should think about how to deliver the foods to offer them to people in Magadan. We are ready to directly enable purchasing as much food as Magadan Oblast needs,” the Gomel Oblast governor assured.
In turn, Magadan Oblast could sell sea fish and sea food to Gomel Oblast.
Ivan Krupko believes it is necessary to set up a working group to streamline cooperation between the oblasts. Sergey Nosov backed the proposal.
Agriculture is another vector for the partnership. “The share of agriculture in Magadan Oblast’s economy is small. But there are farmers, who make, process, and sell their products. We are ready to offer Gomselmash machines and vehicles to private farmers in addition to the attachable equipment Gomel Oblast enterprises make as well as crawler tractors made in Mozyr,” the chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee recounted.
Gomel Oblast is also ready to consider opportunities for cooperation in animal husbandry. Ivan Krupko reminded that the local company Gomelagrokomplekt designs and makes refrigerating equipment, milking equipment, and other kinds of equipment for animal husbandry facilities. “If necessary, we are ready to offer our own terms for a private dairy farm for 400 head of cattle. We are ready to help design it and supply equipment,” the official said.
He added that Gomel Oblast woodworking industry can also offer a broad range of products.
“Economy is the foundation of partnership but our social and humanitarian ties are as important,” the chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee emphasized. He invited Magadan Oblast residents to visit Belarus’ southeastern region in order to attend sport competitions, cultural festivals, and forums. They can also come as tourists.
According to Ivan Krupko, healthcare tourism and patriotic tourism are gaining traction in Gomel Oblast. “Our historical sites are very precious for us. We are grateful to the ancestors, who preserved peace and independence for us. This is why we pay a lot of attention to restoration and renewal of the sites that commemorate events of the Great Patriotic War [of 1941-1945]. Without understanding one’s own history, the traditional system of values it is impossible to build the present and the future,” the official is convinced.
The Russian region governor appreciated the work Gomel Oblast does with regard to cultural affairs, patriotic upbringing of the young generation, and the preservation of memory of the Great Patriotic War. “In order to understand what is going on now it is necessary to understand what happened back then and how,” Sergey Nosov believes.
“The more our people communicate, the stronger the Union State [of Belarus and Russia] will be,” he added.
