News & Events in Belarus

NEW DELHI, 11 September (BelTA) – The Belarusian-Indian business forum is opening in the Indian capital of New Delhi on 11 September, BelTA has learned.

The forum will highlight the ways of expanding bilateral business cooperation in various sectors. Belarusian and Indian businessmen will hold talks. The program will include a meeting of the Belarus-India Business Cooperation Council.

Indian businessmen will be presented with Belarus' business climate and investment opportunities, the prospects of advancing goods to the markets of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union.

Partaking in the business forum will be dozens of heads and representatives of Indian companies working in the areas such as pharmacy, food industry, trade and investments, export and import operations, infrastructure projects, petrochemistry, IT and services, healthcare, financing activities, mining industry, mechanical engineering, woodworking, education, biotechnologies and many others.

A big Belarusian delegation comprising members of the government, ministers, heads of concerns and agencies, specialists of different enterprises has arrived in New Delhi to take part in the forum.

According to Belarus’ Ambassador to India Vitaly Prima, the business forum is held in partnership with three India's biggest business associations. More than 20 documents worth millions of US dollars (memorandums, agreements and contracts) are expected to be signed at the forum.

The business forum is held ahead of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s official visit to India. On 12 September the development of the Belarusian-Indian cooperation will be discussed at the supreme level. The head of state will hold talks and a number of official meetings with the country’s authorities, including President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The parties will discuss the Belarusian-Indian cooperation in the trade, economic, political, sci-tech, humanitarian and tourism areas. The talks will also highlight Belarus-India interaction as part of the Eurasian integration and new possibilities for investment cooperation. The parties will exchange views on the current international agenda.

In 2014-2016 the annual Belarusian-Indian trade stood at about $400 million, with Belarus’ posting a trade surplus. In January-July 2017 the mutual trade totaled $228.5 million. Belarus’ main exports to India include potash fertilizers. About two years ago a task was set forth to reach $1 billion in bilateral trade. “Several years ago the two countries have developed a roadmap to develop cooperation in the mining industry and interregional ties. Today we can talk about concrete results and promising projects that will be implemented in the near future and will create a basis for our further sustainable trade and economic development,” the Belarusian ambassador said.

The Belarusian head of state has visited India twice: in September 1997 and in April 2007.