Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 12 April (BelTA) – Belarus is interested in expanding manufacturing cooperation with Russia’s Yaroslavl Oblast. The statement was made by Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov as he met with Yaroslavl Oblast Governor Dmitry Mironov on 12 April, BelTA has learned.

According to Andrei Kobyakov, manufacturing cooperation between Belarus and Yaroslavl Oblast can be much broader and deeper. At present engines made in Yaroslavl account for 70% of the engines used in vehicles made by the Belarusian automobile engineering company MAZ. Apart from that, engines from Yaroslavl are used by the Gomel-based agricultural machinery producer Gomselmash. “It is a conventional avenue of cooperation. I think there are ways of expanding it. Certainly, we would like Yaroslavl engines to be even more competitive and cheaper, comply with all the up-to-date world and European environmental standards so that our vehicles could move about the entire Eurasian continent without any complications or restrictions,” noted the prime minister. There are also prospects for expanding cooperation in making machine tools.

Belarus is ready to offer a broad range of passenger vehicles to Yaroslavl Oblast such as buses (including those powered by gas engine fuel), trolleybuses, trams, and electric buses. Andrei Kobyakov pointed out that Moscow, Saint Petersburg, other major Russian cities, capital cities of the CIS states, Serbia, and other countries had already expressed interest in Belarusian electric buses.

According to the prime minister, there are good prospects for cooperation in civil engineering and utilities industry. “We have acquired a good practice of building the so-called Belarusian city blocks in Russian regions, for instance, Smolensk Oblast, Kaluga Oblast, Pskov Oblast, and Kaliningrad Oblast where we’ve built homes and social facilities such as schools and hospitals. We are ready to make the same offers to Yaroslavl Oblast, too,” stated Andrei Kobyakov.

Belarus is also ready to share cutting-edge agribusiness technologies with the Russian region. The development of seed breeding, pedigree animal breeding, construction of milking parlors, and sales of a broad range of agricultural machines were mentioned.

According to Andrei Kobyakov, Yaroslavl Oblast is one of the most important trade and economic partners of Belarus among Russian regions. A trade growth trend was registered in 2017 and in 2018. The trade turnover was close to $360 million in 2017. “Nevertheless, opportunities and the potential are much larger than last year,” said the prime minister. “We believe that we have ways to considerably boost the figures.”

Dmitry Mironov confirmed Yaroslavl Oblast’s intention to step up economic cooperation with Belarus. The current visit to Belarus is supposed to result in new agreements on cooperation, believes the governor.