MOSCOW, 14 March (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia have come to terms on favoring the advancement of manufacturing cooperation as much as possible. Belarusian Deputy Industry Minister Dmitry Kharitonchik made the statement after Belarusian-Russian government negotiations in Moscow on 14 March, BelTA has learned. The delegations were led by Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko and Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin.
Dmitry Kharitonchik said: “The key thing we have agreed on is that we will favor the advancement of manufacturing cooperation as much as possible. We've already discussed it with our partners from the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry and have agreed we will work out so-called industry roadmaps for individual industries. The roadmaps will allow identifying possible product shortages. After that we will make concerted decisions on how we can handle it. It will also allow us to understand what may become in short supply and decide together how we will handle it.”
According to the source, the work will give Belarus and Russia clear understanding of what problems the sides should pay close attention to in the near future and enable their resolution by raising investments and setting up new manufacturing facilities. It was noted that Russia had formed a certain database or an import substitution program and Belarusian enterprises are invited to get involved in it, the official remarked.
Dmitry Kharitonchik stressed that giving some subsidies to Belarusian enterprises is not the idea. Equal market conditions are necessary. “Today it was noted that putting maximum efforts into mutual trade and promptly removing the remaining barriers are the main message. I think we will move towards increasing mutual shipments,” the deputy industry minister said.
Dmitry Kharitonchik also said that competition between Belarusian and Russian industrial enterprises is absolutely transparent. “The task is to find the avenues of cooperation and move towards joint substitution projects, projects to master the market niches that will become available on the market of the Union State of Belarus and Russia,” he said.
