Opinions & Interviews

Ambassador talks about promising areas of Belarus-Turkey cooperation

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MINSK, 15 April (BelTA) – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Turkey Andrei Savinykh talked about the promising areas of cooperation between Belarus and Turkey in an interview to the Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA has learned.

Over the past 4-5 years, the trade between the two countries has significantly increased. Now it reaches almost $1 billion. The prospects for bilateral relations still remain hugely untapped. “Belarus and Turkey pay special attention to industrial development, as the real sector virtually shapes the welfare of the nation. For Belarus, this means the setting up of mechanical engineering joint ventures. For Turkey, there are very serious prospects in the production of automotive components directly in Belarus for the Eurasian Economic Union in general and for our industry as well,” said Andrei Savinykh.

According to him, the banking sector is a priority for interaction. "Banking cooperation between our countries has an interesting aspect. We can switch to national currencies in bilateral mutual settlements, which can help strengthen financial stability in both Turkey and Belarus. This is an important point that will boost mutual trade. The matter also pertains to setting up a bank with Turkish capital in Belarus,” the ambassador said.

Issues of trade, economic, industrial cooperation, prospects for setting up mechanical engineering assembly plants will be discussed in Ankara during the Belarusian-Turkish business forum on 16 April. “I am confident that priority attention will also be given to the expansion of scientific and technological cooperation. Here we already have serious groundwork. We start working more closely together to create new innovative products and commercialize them. The dialogue on inter-university cooperation will also be important. The parties will talk over the exchange of students and teachers, the launch of joint training courses and programs. In the future, we hope to set up a joint university, which diplomas will be recognized both in Turkey and Belarus,” Andrei Savinykh said.

The ambassador added that the Turkish market is a specific one. It is open to all suppliers due to the geographical position of Turkey. “Any company can deliver its goods there quickly and easily, so there is tough price competition. We often say that once you enter the Turkish market, there will be no obstacles anywhere in the world. This is the reality that we are facing. Unfortunately, many manufacturers in Belarus say that the Turkish market is not of premium class, the prices are quite competitive and not very high. However, the market capacity is very high,” he said.

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