Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 21 June (BelTA) – The Expo Russia Belarus helps unlocking the trade and investment potential of the two countries, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov said in his greeting speech which was read out during the opening ceremony of the Expo Russia Belarus 2017 and the Minsk business forum, BelTA has learned.

“The expo is held as the two countries celebrate a remarkable date, 25 years of diplomatic relations. Russia and Belarus are allies and strategic partners. Our comprehensive ties are based on the centuries-old friendship, trust and mutual respect of the two brotherly nations. We have been successfully cooperating in the Union State and working to promote integration in the Eurasian Economic Union. The Expo Russia Belarus and the Minsk business forum held on its sidelines contribute to the realization of the bilateral trade and investment potential. I am confident that the demonstration of the achievements in different economic sectors and the mutually enriching exchange of experience will help us implement promising joint projects and will promote the further strengthening of the Russian-Belarusian cooperation,” Sergei Lavrov said in his greeting letter.

The international industrial exhibition Expo-Russia Belarus 2017 is running in Minsk on 21-23 June 2017. Russian and Belarusian companies are showcasing innovations in traditional, nuclear and alternative energy, agriculture, petrochemical and gas industries, food industry, civil engineering, construction, transport, medicine and pharmacology, communications, telecommunications and education. The business program of the expo includes a Minsk business forum, the conference “Russia-Belarus: Cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union”, roundtable sessions involving representatives of Belarusian ministries and government agencies, and a B2B business matchmaking session.

The expo has been organized by OAO Zarubezh-Expo and the International Association of Peace Foundations and co-organized by the Belarusian national exhibition center Belexpo. The expo is held with the support of the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rossotrudnichestvo, Russian Export Center, Russia’s embassy and trade representation in Belarus, the National Assembly, Belarusian ministries, the Supreme State Council and other working bodies of the Belarus-Russia Union State, the CIS Executive Committee, the CIS Economic Council, the Eurasian Economic Commission, the Council of Ministers and the National Confederation of Entrepreneurship (Belarus), the Minsk branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.