MOSCOW, 9 June (BelTA) – Belarus has many opportunities to implement economic projects with partners from Asia, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolai Borisevich said at the Belarus-Asia Forum that is taking place in the Business and Culture Center of the Belarusian Embassy in Russia on 9 June, BelTA has learned.
“There are many opportunities for promoting trade and economic interests in Asia. We have already implemented quite a number of projects; many projects are underway. This includes the supply of finished products, for example, to Vietnam, Indonesia, India, as well as joint projects that we are running with our partners,” Nikolai Borisevich said.
Nikolai Borisevich emphasized: “Belarus' export approximated $2 billion in the past year. It was bigger than in the previous year, in other words we see growth trends and prospects. The fact that we are at this forum today shows a mutual interest in expanding this cooperation. After all, the more we communicate and the more meaningful our dialogue with foreign partners is, the more opportunities open up for us. The fact that our partners are showing such a great interest in it is even a more eloquent proof of that.”
“We view cooperation with Asian partners as a two-way street because it is clear that each side is interested in pursuing its own interests. Yet, it is impossible to disregard the interests of partners. We have always treated our partners with respect, including Asian partners; we have built and will continue building cooperation based on mutual respect and promotion of mutual interests. These interests will determine our further efforts,” the diplomat said.
Answering journalists' questions, he pointed to the successful work of the Belarusian company Integral in Asian markets, which suggests that Belarusian products are in great demand in Asia. “I believe that cooperation in innovations with the Republic of Korea holds a lot of promise. This country has developed a cooperation strategy with foreign countries, including in the field of advanced technologies, information technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine. In other words, this is the kind of cooperation that always requires added value. I would also like to mention joint production facilities and other joint projects that we are running, for example, in Vietnam, as well as the supply of products made by these joint ventures to neighboring countries, which means the expansion of our presence in the region,” Nikolai Borisevich said.
The Belarus-Asia Forum seeks to showcase Belarus' export potential, establish business contacts, and exchange views on the state and prospects of trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and Asian countries.
The event has brought together Asian diplomats working in the embassies accredited in Russia and concurrently in Belarus that have neither representative offices in Minsk nor embassies of Belarus at home. They include ambassadors, chiefs of diplomatic missions, and other diplomats of Indonesia, Yemen, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, Afghanistan, Laos, and the Philippines.
Representatives of Asian countries are told about possible forms of cooperation with Belarusian industrial enterprises, export financing of joint projects, Belarus' capacities in agriculture, and the work of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in enhancing cooperation with partners on the Asian market.
