Business news

MINSK, 17 August (BelTA) – Acting Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast Evgeny Kuivashev outlined the key areas of cooperation between Sverdlovsk Oblast and Belarus and announced his intention to work on re-launching direct flights between Minsk and Yekaterinburg, BelTA learned from the official website of the government of Sverdlovsk Oblast.

“The Middle Urals is one of the flagship regions of Russia, its big industrial and business center. Belarus is ranked 13^th among our foreign economic partners and second among the partners in the CIS, going only behind Kazakhstan. The strategic areas of cooperation include energy, mechanical engineering, healthcare, medical and pharmaceutical industry. High technology and automation are also viewed as promising areas of cooperation,” said Evgeny Kuivashev who is currently on a working visit to Minsk.

In his words, one of the goals of his trip to the Belarusian capital was to discuss possible resuming of direct flights between Yekaterinburg and Minsk, which were stopped some time ago.

According to Evgeny Kuivashev, the mutual trade between the Middle Urals and Belarus totaled almost $200 million in 2016. In January-May 2017 the bilateral trade soared 31% to $98 million.

The government of Sverdlovsk Oblast also cited efficient examples of industrial cooperation. Thus, the Urals Turbine Works, which has been closely cooperating with Belarusian power engineers, has supplied 20 steam turbines for power plants and the volume of purchases will continue growing. Sinara Transport Machines and BelAZ are installing new-generation diesel engines in haul trucks. The Urals Optical and Mechanical Plant and the Belarusian company Integral have teamed up to produce artificial respirators.

Sverdlovsk Oblast shows interest in cooperation in the agro-industrial sector. Minister of Agriculture and Food of Sverdlovsk Oblast Dmitry Degtyarev, who is in Minsk on a visit as part of the Sverdlovsk Oblast delegation, met with Belarus’ Agriculture and Food Minister Leonid Zayats and visited Belarusian farm machinery producers. Dmitry Degtyarev praised the quality of products of the Belarusian partners and added that the Belarusian agricultural machinery can be successfully used by Sverdlovsk agrarians.