Business news

MINSK, 30 March (BelTA) – About 150 highly-placed executives of Japanese companies will visit Belarus this summer, BelTA learned from Sergei Rakhmanov, Chairman of the International Affairs and National Security Commission of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, on 30 March. The information was released during the seminar held in the lower chamber of the Belarus parliament to discuss the country’s international activities and interparliamentary cooperation.

Sergei Rakhmanov used to work as Belarus’ ambassador to Japan in the past. He said that 150 presidents of Japanese companies are scheduled to visit Belarus in July-August. They are expected to get familiar with Belarusian IT companies and go on tours of agricultural enterprises. The senator said he hopes that the visits would create the foundation for the relevant investments down the road. Sergei Rakhmanov pointed out that a special group had been set up in Japan to promote the country’s relations with Belarus. The group includes politicians, businessmen, and heads of several ministries.

All in all, the senator said he hopes that it is necessary to more actively use capabilities of parliamentary diplomacy to promote Belarus’ interests abroad. In his opinion, exporting Belarusian commodities and services to other countries is not the whole idea. It is necessary to develop the domestic manufacturing potential, create more jobs, and develop technologies. “To accomplish that, we need foreign partners in advanced countries, which can supply these technologies. Selling what we have to foreigners is not the sole function of our foreign economic system. It is also necessary to borrow what we need abroad, including the technologies that we can assimilate and thus secure additional opportunities for exporting merchandise and services,” the Chairman of the International Affairs and National Security Commission was convinced.