MINSK, 18 July (BelTA) – Belarus intends to increase export to Russia by a third this year. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Russia Vladimir Semashko made the statement on the sidelines of a seminar for heads of diplomatic missions and consular institutions of Belarus. The seminar began in the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of Belarus on 18 July, BelTA has learned.
Vladimir Semashko said: “We've always maintained very close ties with Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. I am talking about shipments of industrial goods, agricultural goods, and food. Our construction workers worked a lot over there. Generally speaking, the European Union understood that it went overboard a bit and the restrictions [on railway transit to Kaliningrad Oblast], which were unexpectedly introduced in the middle of the last month, have been removed.”
In his words, Belarus will pay close attention to cooperation with Kaliningrad Oblast. Belarus intends to increase export to Russia by a third this year and may increase export to Kaliningrad even more than that, the ambassador noted.