Business news

TBILISI, 1 September (BelTA) – Belarus and Georgia intend to raise their trade up to $200 million in 2017. Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Rusy made the statement after the national expo of Belarus opened in Georgia on 1 September, BelTA has learned.

Mikhail Rusy noted: “The heads of state have given instructions to reach the trade turnover of $200 million by late 2017. It is doable. We managed to double trade with Georgia in H1 2016 alone.”

Over 140 companies are taking part in the national expo. “Some serious headway is being made in establishing joint ventures with Minsk Tractor Works to make vehicles. We are in negotiations on setting up trading houses of Belarus in Georgia. Yesterday we opened a trading house of the Belarusian furniture maker Pinskdrev on an area as large as 3,000m2,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

According to the source, negotiations with the prime minister, a deputy prime minister, and heads of ministries and government agencies of Georgia took place the day before. Specific instructions were given to train and retrain specialists, to allow Georgian winemakers to bottle wines and cognac spirits in Belarus, to develop cigarette business, said Mikhail Rusy. Belarus buys quality raw tobacco from Georgia and supplies ready-made products to Georgia.

“Some serious headway has been made with regard to agribusiness. We have agreed to make monthly and quarterly plans for every branch of agriculture. People responsible for it have been appointed,” said the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus.