NUCLEAR POWER IN BELARUS AND WORLDWIDE
VITEBSK, 27 December (BelTA) – In 2022 Vitebsk Oblast was ahead of other regions of Belarus in terms of exports, retail and wholesale trade and was second only to Brest Oblast in gross regional product, Vitebsk Oblast Governor Aleksandr Subbotin told reporters at the final meeting of the Vitebsk Oblast Council of Deputies, BelTA has learned.
Despite the sanctions, the region was able to achieve success in some sectors of the economy. “The year was not easy due to the growing pressure of the sanctions, due to restrictions along the external contour, the difficult situation in the country's industrial and agricultural sectors due to discontinuation of supplies of raw materials and disruption of logistics chains. Despite the deteriorating situation, we jointly managed to turn the corner with minimal losses. If you name all the achievements, the list will be long. To put it simply, we took the lead in export, retail and wholesale trade. We became second only to Brest Oblast in gross regional product, and this is one of the most significant achievements. In addition, we took third place in production of import-substituting products,” the governor said as he reviewed the preliminary results of the outgoing year.
Speaking about plans for the next year, Aleksandr Subbotin noted that a lot has been started this year and will continue through next year. “It will be important to finish what my predecessors started in the agricultural sector under Decree No. 70. The region has been working on it for two years, and now we see all the flaws that need to be fixed. There will be many cultural and social projects. We have also embarked on creating a biotechnology cluster in line with the instruction of the head of state who said that each region should launch one or two large projects of this kind. The work on this project is scheduled to begin in 2023,” the governor informed.
Aleksandr Subbotin also noted that the administration of the region and districts is trying to foresee the risks that might emerge next year. These risks mostly have to do with external factors - sanctions, armed conflicts outside our country. “We hope that everything will calm down in the world, common sense will prevail and we will continue to be friends, as before, and our partnership and logistical ties with the West will be restored,” the governor said sharing his aspirations.
