Business news

MINSK, 17 November (BelTA) – Belarus hopes for active development of business cooperation with Germany, Belarus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei told the media after a meeting with Vice Chancellor, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany Sigmar Gabriel on 17 November, BelTA has learned.

“We welcome the growing interest of German business in Belarus and are ready to provide necessary support to joint Belarusian-German projects oriented at the huge market of the Eurasian Economic Union and China’s New Silk Road initiative,” Vladimir Makei said.

He noted that there are several hundred enterprises operating in Belarus with the participation of the German capital, and also numerous representative offices of various German companies.

“There were some negative moments related primarily to the sanctions which were a deterrent for the German business. At today’s meeting with the president much was said about Belarus opening doors wide for German business, inviting it to work both in free economic zones and in the Great Stone industrial park. We agreed to work out and implement a number of projects to have so-called success stories,” the minister said.

Vladimir Makei expressed the hope that the development of business cooperation between the two countries will accelerate significantly in the coming years.

For his part, Sigmar Gabriel concurred that there is great potential for intensifying relations in trade, economy and investment. “Together we must promote Belarus as a platform for international business, a place with lots of opportunities for international investment, for German investment too. It is a country with an excellent education system. People living here are used to working in industrial occupations,” he said.

“I think the time has come to draw attention to Belarus again, to give it more focus,” he noted.