Business news

ISTANBUL, 12 November (BelTA) – There is hope for explosive growth in Belarusian-Turkish relations. Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov made the statement during the Belarusian investment forum in Istanbul on 12 November, BelTA has learned.

Andrei Kobyakov said: “Turkey is an open country for us but now we are exploring it in a new way. I hope for explosive development of trade and economic relations between the two countries because these are countries that mutually complement each other, countries that can establish real manufacturing cooperation.”

In his words, the sides are interested in mutual investments. “We know that Turkey vigorously invests in Belarus. Our citizens know perfectly well the hotels created by Turkish builders. Those are the President Hotel, the Minsk Hotel, and the Crown Plaza Hotel. A number of other projects will be implemented as well. Quite substantial investments have been poured into the civil engineering industry,” stated the Belarusian head of government.

He remarked that Belarus has investment interests in Turkey, too. At the top of the list are the projects for assembling tractors, automobiles, and mine dump trucks. “It turns out Turkey has a shortage of forage harvesters of exactly the type we make,” explained Andrei Kobyakov. In his words, vigorous tests are in progress now. If everything goes well, serious contracts for delivering the machines will be signed. In the future an assembly enterprise will be set up in Turkey.

The Belarusian investment forum in Istanbul gathered about 600 representatives of the private sector and the governments of the two countries. The Belarusian delegation includes representatives of the Economy Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the central bank, the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus, the National Agency of Investment and Privatization, SZAO Industrial Park Development Company, the administrations of the free economic zones Mogilev and Grodnoinvest.

The forum’s program includes speeches by Belarusian and Turkish officials and a plenary session in the form of panel discussions focusing on macroeconomics, the investment climate, and the presentation of investment projects and platforms of Belarus.