MINSK, 30 September (BelTA) – A multibrand center showcasing Belarusian goods will open in Ulyanovsk, Russia. The project was discussed during a meeting between Ulyanovsk Oblast Governor Alexei Russkikh and Head of the Belarus President Administration Dmitry Krutoi on the sidelines of the INNOPROM.Belarus international industrial expo on 30 September, BelTA has learned.
“We have about a dozen items on our agenda today. I am grateful to the Ulyanovsk Oblast governor for his personal involvement and attention to even the smallest details regarding the relations with Belarusian enterprises. As a kind of homework, we have undertaken the project to build a multibrand center with Belarusian goods in Ulyanovsk. It will be similar to the First National Trading House shopping center in Minsk. All Belarusian producers will be represented there. We need to select a site in Ulyanovsk and an operator to manage the project,” Dmitry Krutoi explained.
He also emphasized the demand for a direct air route to Ulyanovsk Oblast. “At present it is seasonal. We are grateful to the governor for allocating regional subsidies to support this route. Its capacity during the summer season reaches 95%. There are many attractions in Ulyanovsk Oblast, and the residents of the region also have a great interest in Belarus. That is why the route is popular and well-used. Perhaps it should even be made year‑round,” Dmitry Krutoi noted.
In turn, Alexei Russkikh stressed that Ulyanovsk Oblast and Belarus have been working together closely and constructively for more than three years. “There are tangible results. We are now moving forward along the main areas of cooperation, including automotive engineering, aircraft manufacturing, and machine tool building. In addition, during the forum, 57 schoolchildren from Ulyanovsk are visiting Brest. They have toured the Brest Fortress. Tomorrow we will meet them in Minsk to lay flowers at the Victory monument. In terms of the patriotic education of young people, we also have active cooperation. There is cultural exchange as well: several of our creative groups have already visited Belarus. In this respect, we will continue to develop cooperation,” the governor said.
He remarked that about 20 Ulyanovsk companies are represented at the exhibition. “Even now we can say that their products are popular. We have held a number of negotiations with Belarusian manufacturers and outlined several promising contracts. We will continue this work, and in the end it will have a positive effect on the economies of both our region and Belarus,” Alexei Russkikh added.
Ulyanovsk Oblast and Belarus are linked by dozens of joint cooperation projects. Over the past three years, Ulyanovsk Oblast has shown one of the highest growth rates in mutual trade among all Russian regions. “Last year our trade surged by 30%, and in January-July of this year it rose by 23%. By the end of this year, according to Belarusian statistics, it is expected to reach $100 million. This is the first landmark figure, the target that the governor agreed upon at a meeting with our leader. In fact, we are reaching this figure ahead of schedule. Although it may seem paradoxical, sanctions are helping, because two strong strategic directions in our economic cooperation are aircraft manufacturing and the radio‑electronic and microelectronic industries, for which Ulyanovsk Oblast is renowned. These areas are its brand. In just two years we prepared joint cooperation programs in these two sectors with key companies from Belarus and Ulyanovsk Oblast worth hundreds of millions of Russian rubles, and today they are essentially the foundation of our future cooperation. There is also a third area: machine tool building. Within its stand at the INNOPROM. Belarus exhibition, Ulyanovsk Oblast is presenting separately the capabilities of the Ulyanovsk Machine Tool Plant. Given that the leaders of our countries have identified machine tool building as one of the top three industries responsible for import substitution within the Union State [of Belarus and Russia], cooperation and joint projects in this sector is very important, and we are placing our bet on it,” Dmitry Krutoi concluded.
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