Business news

27 May 2019

Belarus-France trade up 20% in January-April

MINSK, 27 May (BelTA) – In January-April 2019, Belarus-France trade went up by 20% year-on-year, Belarus’ Ambassador to France Igor Fisenko said in an interview to Belarus 1 TV channel.

“The trade has been steadily increasing. Last year we saw the growth of some 15%. The mutual trade reached almost $400 million. Since the start of the year [January-April 2019] we have registered even a more confident growth: an increase of about 20% in mutual trade, including Belarus’ export. The most important position in our exports is woodworking products: houses, wooden structures and furniture. The priority in our exports to France is advanced technology products. Some progress in the area has already been made. These are the deliveries of X-ray equipment. Our products are used, for example, in such areas as the processing and storage of the agricultural produce,” Igor Fisenko said.

Over the past years Belarus and France have developed a number of cooperation areas in the cultural sector. “Of course, all these areas will be further supported and developed. Several weeks ago we opened an exhibition of Belarusian paintings in a gallery near Louvre. On display are the works of modern artists from Vitebsk. Every year we conduct a series of events to attract the interest of the French audience in Belarus. We sing the Belarusian anthem in one of Paris’ squares. This is a traditional event run by the embassy,” the Belarusian ambassador to France said.

In 2018, nearly 15,000 French citizens visited Belarus. “About 6,000 of them came here visa-free. We would like to double, or even triple, the number of French visitors to Belarus within several years. The focus is also on the 2nd European Games which are due in Belarus in June 2019. This is going to be a big event, and we speak a lot about the competitions which will be held in Belarus and emphasize the fact that the entry to the country will be simplified. More people are taking interest in this information and we hope that we will see a lot of guests from France in Belarus in June,” Igor Fisenko said.

The 2nd European Games will take place in Minsk on 21-30 June. More than 4,000 athletes from 50 countries will compete for 200 sets of medals in 15 sports.