VLADIMIR, 4 March (BelTA) – The withdrawal of Western companies has helped Vladimir Oblast’s private sector find new niches for cooperation with Belarus. Governor of Russia’s Vladimir Oblast Aleksandr Avdeyev made the statement after negotiations with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Russia Dmitry Krutoi in the city of Vladimir on 4 March, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Avdeyev said: “We started cooperating with Belarus to acquire municipal vehicles and buses a long time ago. [The Belarusian automobile engineering company] MAZ shipped 20 buses literally in March. We maintain cooperation to make tractors and loaders. Everyone traditionally knows about this base. But brand new niches have become available now because foreign companies have left and a new manufacturing cooperation market has emerged.”
“Manufacturing cooperation chains that we didn’t notice in the past have been established. This is why about 40 companies now tightly cooperate. Mind you, they seem to be competitors. For instance, Volgabus and MAZ make buses. But even they have signed about 10 contracts on internal manufacturing cooperation,” the governor pointed out.
In his words, every time when representatives of the private sector of Belarus and Vladimir Oblast meet, they find new contact points, which allow finding partners. “Today we’ve discussed cooperation with regard to elevators, component assembly of municipal vehicles, cooperation in agriculture, tourism, civil engineering services and construction materials. All these are examples of our attention in the future. If we offer new niches to our companies, then trade turnover will grow,” Aleksandr Avdeyev stated.
