Belarus, Russia’s Bashkortostan to expand industrial, tourism cooperation

MOSCOW, 4 May (BelTA) - Belarus’ Ambassador to Russia Yuri Seliverstov met with Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan Radiy Khabirov as he visited Ufa on 4-5 May, BelTA has learned.

The ambassador thanked Bashkortostan’s leadership for supporting the opening of a Belarusian consulate general in Ufa. The consulate building stands in the city’s historic center. “This is a generous gesture that will help our consulate to operate properly,” he said.

Ambassador Yuri Seliverstov noted that Belarus and Bashkortostan cooperate closely in many areas, including mechanical engineering. A joint venture producing Belarusian trolleybuses is successfully operating in the Russian region. The vehicles are supplied not only to cities in Bashkortostan but also to other regions.

The talks covered the development of joint industrial clusters and the supply of Belarusian machinery, including for the region’s agricultural sector. In this regard, Ambassador Yuri Seliverstov pointed out that Belarus is looking into a possibility of introducing preferential leasing schemes for agricultural machinery supplies to Russia, similar to those already in place for mining and municipal equipment.

The parties also touched on the development of tourism. According to the ambassador, people want to travel across the Union State, and the necessary conditions needto be created.This is especially important because the leaders of both countries have set a goal of increasing tourism’s contribution to GDP. “I am confident that our cooperation will only grow stronger,” Ambassador Yuri Seliverstov said.

Radiy Khabirov stressed that Belarus is one of Bashkortostan’s key partners. “We have a high regard for the leadership of Belarus, President Aleksandr Lukashenko.He always gives us a warm welcome and then makes sure to follow up on all the issues we discuss,” he said.

Radiy Khabirov noted that the parties are actively developing industrial cooperation. In addition to the trolleybus joint venture, the parties are planning to set up production facilities for Belarusian agricultural machinery. “Our farmers love Belarusian equipment,” he said, adding that there is great potential for cooperation in this area.

Apart from economic cooperation, the humanitarian cooperation is also gaining momentum, including ties in culture, education, and youth patriotic education. On tourism, Radiy Khabirov noted that residents of Bashkortostan eagerly take weekend trips to Belarus. Direct flights between Minsk and Ufa are set to resume soon, which will further strengthen these ties, he added.