Business news

BREST, 16 December (BelTA) – Brest Oblast is interested in developing cooperation ties with the business circles of Kazakhstan, Brest Oblast Governor Anatoly Lis said as he met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Belarus Yergali Bulegenov on 16 December, BelTA informs.

The governor congratulated the guest on the main national holiday of Kazakhstan – Independence Day. Assessing the trade and economic cooperation, Anatoly Lis noted: “No doubt the potential of our cooperation is huge. We are interested in closer cooperation with the business circles of Kazakhstan.” In January-October 2015 the trade between Brest Oblast and Kazakhstan almost reached $62 million (72.5% up over the same period last year). Brest Oblast had a trade surplus. Four companies with the Kazakh capital were registered in the oblast.

The Brest Oblast Governor named the construction sector and logistics among promising areas to develop bilateral cooperation. “Taking into account the ongoing strengthening and expansion of the Eurasian Economic Union as well as keeping in mind the geographic location of the oblast it is clear that the cooperation potential in this areas is huge. Brest Oblast is the western gateway of the EEU, while Kazakhstan is its eastern gateway. Keeping this in mind we can develop a number of joint projects on setting up logistic centers,” said Anatoly Lis. Besides, Brest Oblast is ready to offer interested Kazakh companies its free land plots to set up joint companies for processing agricultural products, in mechanical engineering, woodworking, light industry and other sectors.

Yergali Bulegenov believes that producers of the two countries should develop cooperation ties more actively. In his words, back then a lot of assembly plants were set up in Kazakhstan by Belarusian producers, and this form of cooperation is already in the past. “A new form is joint companies that can meet Kazakhstan’s demands and enter third markets. Joint efforts always bring good results. Belarusians should attract more Kazakh companies. Over the past five years hundreds of companies have been set up in Kazakhstan that are able to produce competitive products around the world. Some of them could be brought here,” the diplomat said.

The parties also agreed on the need to give a new impetus to the regional agreements. Thus, Brest Oblast has agreements on trade, economic, sci-tech and cultural cooperation with the Akimats of the East-Kazakhstan and Karaganda Oblasts, which were signed in 2002 and 2009 respectively. “We should look into these agreements, outline viable projects. Let it be one or two projects. They should be selected and implemented,” the Kazakh Ambassador said. He suggested organizing mutual visits for delegations of the abovementioned regions in the near future. Anatoly Lis support the idea.