Business news
Belarus aims for tighter cooperation with Bangladesh
Photos courtesy of the Embassy of Belarus in India
MINSK, 23 March (BelTA) – A delegation of representatives of Belarusian industrial enterprises have been to Bangladesh on a visit, representatives of the Belarusian embassy in India told BelTA.
The delegation included representatives of Amkodor, MAZ, Belkommunmash, and Promagroleasing. The delegation was led by Deputy Industry Minister Dmitry Kharitonchik.
In Bangladesh the Belarusian delegation met with Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Tajul Islam. The ministry was the main buyer of Amkodor machines and vehicles in 2017. The ministry intends to buy more road construction machines to the tune of $17 million. The sides discussed vehicle maintenance as part of the first contract and agreed offers concerning specific products as part of the second contract.
The administration of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka showed interest in electric passenger vehicles. After examining Dhaka’s requirements concerning electric buses (road width, specific routes, altitude variations, passenger load, average travel speed, and other essential parameters) the Bangladeshi side intends to contact Belarusian companies to request commercial offers for buying vehicles and the relevant infrastructure. If necessary, top officials or specialists of the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry and the Dhaka administration will visit Minsk to take a closer look at Belarusian products.
The Belarusian delegation also met with Bangladeshi Trade Minister Tipu Munshi. Ways to increase Belarus-Bangladesh trade were discussed. In 2020 Bangladesh exported $26.1 million worth of merchandise to Belarus while Belarus’ export exceeded $115 million. The sides discussed ways to simplify the access of Bangladeshi apparel, jute fabric, leather goods, and medications to the Belarusian market.
During the meeting Dmitry Kharitonchik stated Belarus is interested in providing assistance with building infrastructure connected with nuclear installations, in supplying environmentally friendly transport, agricultural equipment, and technologies for processing and storing agricultural goods and livestock products, in developing pedigree livestock farming.
The sides spoke at length about cooperation with Bangladesh in the context of economic integration in the Eurasian space, including the signing of a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union and the reconciliation of trade quotas.
Cooperation in the sphere of nuclear technologies was discussed as the delegation met with Alak Chakrabarty, Chief Executive Director of the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant under construction. Since the types of the Belarusian nuclear power plant and the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant are virtually identical, top officials of the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant expressed extreme interest in using the Belarusian experience of infrastructure development as part of the project to build the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant and two more nuclear power plants, which construction is supposed to be authorized by the end of 2021.
The sides talked about sharing the best practices and providing assistance with building the facilities a nuclear power plant needs such as roads, administrative buildings, housing and social facilities, the delivery of safe equipment, and personnel training. The advisability of signing a framework agreement on cooperation in the sphere of nuclear energy between Belarus and Bangladesh for the sake of effective interaction was emphasized.
The sides also discussed the participation of Belarusian specialists in the establishment of firefighting teams (the external radius) for protecting the nuclear installation in Ruppur. The Bangladeshi side is interested in the integral resolution of the matter – deliveries of machines and vehicles, infrastructure construction, and personnel training.
Upon the invitation of Gazipur Mayor Jahangir Alam the Belarusian delegation also visited the Gazipur city hall and was made familiar with several facilities under construction and with some finished projects. Belarusian road construction machines and civil engineering machines are already well known there, this is why they are ready to consider buying this kind of equipment. The Bangladeshi side was also interested in buying $50-100 million worth of MAZ dump trucks. The city administration also showed interest in Belarusian electric buses.
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