Opinions & Interviews

The Eurasian Economic Forum in Verona is one of the most effective platforms in Europe to talk about relations between East and West and to discuss possible steps to build bridges of cooperation and remove artificial barriers for business. This large-scale forum traditionally organized by the non-profit Conoscere Eurasia Association, Roscongress Foundation, St Petersburg International Economic Forum, has earned a well-deserved reputation in political, expert and business communities.

This year the organizers extended a range of topics and a number of participants, having made the Verona forum even more relevant and more attractive to all those who are interested in dialogue. In an interview with BelTA, Professor Antonio Fallico, President of Conoscere Eurasia Association, shared his thoughts about the main results of the two-day forum and the possibilities of intensifying the Belarusian-Italian trade and economic interaction.

Mr Fallico, on 25-26 October the Verona forum gathered around 1,300 delegates from 40 countries: businessmen, politicians, journalists, representatives of regional integration association, including the Belarus-Russia Union State and the Eurasian Economic Union. The number of participants increases from year to year. Do you see the evolution of ideas? What were the results of the forum?

For several years we have been talking about the need to withdraw economic sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, the importance of dialogue. But this year we had a more radical idea: we must move from words to action!

We believe that we already reached the point of stagnation in economic relations. We hit the bottom so to speak. It is clear that those countries that impose sanctions and engage in restrictive activities can no longer afford them. This policy has started to backfire. The situation raises concern not only from an economic point of view but also from the political and social perspectives. We must act without delay.

There were some interesting debates during the forum, for example on topics such as geo-political challenges in Greater Eurasia, cybersecurity, interaction as the basis of energy security, new technologies as a driver of sustainable social and economic development. We discussed digitalization of agriculture. At the session “Innovations in agriculture and agroindustry” Yevgeny Babich, the head of the IT division at the Belarusian Agriculture and Food industry, talked about the Belarusian experience.

What is your vision of the next Verona forum? What will be your goal in the preparations for the 12th meeting?

It would be great to see a heavier presence of the current participating states. For example, it would be desirable to see Belarus send a high-level delegation of politicians and business representatives.

I will never stop saying that Belarus plays a strategic role and holds a very important place in the Eurasian Economic Union. Today, Belarus gets close attention, including in connection with the events in Ukraine and the peace talks in Minsk. Therefore, broader participation from Belarus is important to us.

In December 2017 an agreement was signed in Moscow to set up a Belarusian-Italian business council. What steps do the parties take to intensify cooperation?

Italy has already fulfilled the first part of its obligations. This year we held a special session dedicated to Belarus’ opportunities at one of the economic seminars in Rome. Taking part in the session were representatives from Belarus that are interesting for the Italian market. Now we are waiting for Belarus’ invitation to bring to Minsk Italian companies which have already been working in or just taking a look at Belarus.

We want our meetings and events to be a real exchange of experience, not simply a formality. It is important to meet more often and thoroughly prepare for such meetings. We must understand what Belarus’ strategic interest and priority are in relation to Italy and vice versa.

A large Belarusian-Chinese project, the Great Stone Industrial Park, is currently in progress in Belarus. European companies are showing interest in it. Do you think this park can be attractive for the Italian business?

I know well about this project from the media. It gets a lot of media coverage. I am curious to follow its dynamics

I think Italy can count on Belarus as a partner that will help us add a new momentum to our relations with China.

Italians know that China shows a lot of interest in Belarus. Therefore, I believe it is important to have some sort of Belarusian component in our interaction with China.

Marta Astreiko

BelTA