Business news

MINSK, 23 March (BelTA) – Belarus intends to balance the trade turnover with Russia’s Orenburg Oblast. The plans were voiced by Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov at the meeting with Orenburg Oblast Governor Yuri Berg on 23 March, BelTA has learned.

The Prime Minister said: “We have quite a respectable volume of trade with you. It was as high as $1 billion in the past. Now the mutual trade volume has been halved [to nearly $543 million in 2014], but at any rate we intend to accomplish the serious task of balancing the trade turnover volume as much as possible”.

According to the Prime Minister, it can be done by stepping up manufacturing cooperation among other things. The production of agricultural machines is another promising avenue. According to Andrei Kobyakov, Belarus is ready to take into account all the proposals and remarks of Russian partners if there are any. “On the whole, we try to export the products that have been rather seriously tested on the home market,” stressed the Belarusian head of government. He pointed out that Belarusian machines are quite competitive at present as far as prices and quality are concerned.

Taking into account Orenburg Oblast’s ambitious plans regarding dairy cattle husbandry, Belarus is ready to offer a number of solutions in this field. “I think that urban and suburban transport will be interesting,” continued Andrei Kobyakov. “We have good capabilities with regard to passenger buses, both powered by diesel fuel and gas engine fuel”.

Belarus is also ready to share its experience in the area of civil engineering, particularly the comprehensive development of rural areas. “We already have certain experience in this field and can implement projects as effectively as possible with minimal costs,” noted the Prime Minister.