Business news

9 Apr 2019

Interest in Belarusian machines in Russia’s Khakassia despite skewed competition conditions

Photo of the Belarusian embassy in Russia

MOSCOW, 9 April (BelTA) – The prospects for Belarusian companies to participate in the municipal economic sector of Abakan, the capital of Khakassia, were discussed at a meeting between Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Russia Vladimir Semashko and Abakan Mayor Nikolai Bulakin. The meeting took place during the Belarusian diplomat’s working visit to the Russian region on 8-10 April, BelTA learned from the press service of the embassy.

“The head of Khakassia’s capital emphasized the high quality of the Belarusian products that are already present in the region. He noted the purchase of 120 Mogilev passenger elevators for the Abakan housing stock. Another positive example is trouble-free operation of the Belarusian road-building machinery. Nikolay Bulakin expressed confidence in the further acquisition of high-quality and affordable Belarusian products. The city needs equipment to clean city streets from sand and gravel mix after winter,” the press service informed

Vladimir Semashko suggested establishing long-term mutually beneficial trade relations in the sale of Belarusian machinery and food products. Passenger vehicles, such as trams, trolleybuses, electric buses, and buses are popular in the Russian regions. The acquisition of cleaning equipment is also relevant as Russia has recently passed a law on the disposal and processing of municipal solid waste. The Belarusian equipment is universal for performing various types of work, including the current maintenance of the road network. Belarus supplies such equipment to the EU countries. The ambassador also emphasized Belarus’ readiness to cooperate on comprehensive low-rise and multi-storey dwelling construction, including the entire neighborhood design and turnkey projects, and also roads with all necessary infrastructure.

“Minsk electric transport is of high quality, but the Russian federal subsidy does not apply to it. If this issue was resolved at the level of the Russian government in order to increase the competitiveness of manufacturers, and Minsk electric buses, trolleybuses and other passenger vehicles were included in the subsidized sale scheme, then the prospect of acquiring them to service new neighborhoods in the city would be big. The mayor of Abakan also said that the capital of Khakassia needs highly-qualified contractors, especially for the design of social, sport and education facilities,” the embassy said.

A cooperation agreement was signed in Abakan between Municipal Leasing Company and Amkodor-Krasnoyarsk, which is Amkodor’s official dealer. A contract was also concluded for the delivery of a large batch of Belarusian elevators to Khakassia.

Vladimir Semashko visited the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant and the open-pit mining division Razrez Stepnoi which uses 37 large BelAZ trucks. Razrez Stepnoi is of Mikhail Gutseriev’s SAFMAR group of the Russian Coal company that develops the Chernogorsk coal field of the Minusinsk coal basin. Ahead of the ambassador’s visit, the enterprise acquired two more BelAZ-75131 dump trucks with a lifting capacity of 130 tons under the investment program. The ambassador got familiar with the operation of the enterprise and held talks with the management.