Business news

27 Jul 2021

Belarus, Russia encouraged to advance cooperation in IT

An archive photo

GOMEL, 27 July (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia should advance cooperation in the sphere of information technologies and should pool efforts. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Belarus Yevgeny Lukyanov pointed it out as he talked to reporters after meeting with Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee Gennady Solovei, BelTA has learned.

The sides had mentioned solid ties and contacts between Russia and Belarus. The ambassador said: “Those are contacts between individual enterprises and between regions. In my opinion, the most effective work is built on the same horizontal when partners cooperate in the same industry, in the same plane. They have common interests and problems. And when they seek a solution to these problems together, they get better results.”

The ambassador mentioned the three main vectors, along which tight interaction between Belarusian and Russian partners proceeds. Fruitful cooperation has been established in machine building, dairy industry, and agriculture. “Cooperation in the sphere of high technologies looks most promising. It is what needs to be developed both in Russia and Belarus. It is where efforts should be pooled,” he pointed out.

According to the ambassador, the matter of cross-border cooperation should be considered via the prism of the political map. “There is the state of Belarus and there is the state of Russia. All the contacts of any subject of these countries are cross-border. It is where the potential for real success in cooperation lies. Because goals of any state are simple – the social and economic wellbeing of its citizens,” Yevgeny Lukyanov stressed.

As he met with the ambassador, Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee Gennady Solovei talked about the industrial, cultural, historical, and educational potential of Belarus’ southeastern region.

Yevgeny Lukyanov intends to visit a number of industrial enterprises in Gomel Oblast, including Gomselmash, Mozyr Oil Refinery, Mirtek Engineering, and other ones.

In January-May 2021 Gomel Oblast’s trade with Russia totaled $2,467.8 million (the growth rate 217.7%), with export at $675.6 million (125.0%) and import at $1,792.2 million (302.4%).

Russia’s share in Gomel Oblast’s trade totaled 54.9%, 31.4% in export, and 76.5% in import. The top Russian importers of Gomel Oblast goods were Moscow Oblast (24.5%), Moscow (13.5%), St Petersburg (8.1%), Bryansk Oblast (7.7%), and Smolensk Oblast (4.4%). The most popular exports to Russia are rods and wire made of iron or non-alloy steel, dairy products, agricultural machines and spare parts for them, synthetic fibers, nonwoven materials, fasteners.

In January-March 2021 Russian investments in Gomel Oblast totaled $154.3 million. Russia’s share in the total volume of foreign investments was 46%. In 2020 Russian investments in Gomel Oblast totaled $515.2 million.

Gomel Oblast is home to 361 companies with Russian capital, including 12 companies residing in the free economic zone (FEZ) Gomel-Raton.

The Gomel Oblast Executive Committee has signed 22 bilateral documents on interregional cooperation with Russian regions. The Council of Deputies has signed nine bilateral documents on interregional cooperation with Russian regions. Those are Amur Oblast, Bryansk Oblast, Kirovsk Oblast, Kursk Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Orenburg Oblast, Samara Oblast, and Sverdlovsk Oblast. Administrative-territorial units of Gomel Oblast and Russia have signed 78 bilateral documents on cooperation.