Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 4 December (BelTA) – There are plans to increase the trade between Belarus and Tajikistan at least ten times, Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Ulakhovich said in an interview to ONT TV Channel on 3 December, BelTA has learned.

“For a start, we are capable of increasing it ten times,” said Vladimir Ulakhovich. In January-September 2017 the trade totaled $27.7 million, up 2.29% over the same period last year.

The two states are aimed at setting up joint ventures to enter the markets of third countries. According to the chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the nearby location of Afghanistan has a strategic importance for cooperation with Tajikistan. “Today, Afghanistan is in the zone of widespread financial support from international organizations. Belarus can offer its technical resources and products, including agricultural and road construction equipment,” said Vladimir Ulakhovich. In this regard, it is of great importance for Belarus and Tajikistan to work together in the Afghan market.

There are plans for a large-scale exhibition of Belarusian products in Dushanbe in 2018. The expo will feature different products from pharmaceuticals to BelAZ trucks. The program will also include a business forum that will be attended by Afghan partners and also partners from other nearby countries.

As for Belarus-Kazakhstan cooperation, the countries are set to reach the mutual trade of at least $1 billion in 2020. Speaking about the resources that are planned to be used for this, Vladimir Ulakhovich noted that Belarus is a very important and useful partner for Kazakhstan in this regard. Belarus intends to increase localization in Kazakhstan with the help of technology and production volumes. Jointly made products can be sold to many countries in Central Asia. “Kazakhstan also thinks about the promotion of its products to other markets, and Belarus is a gateway to Europe in this respect. There is a huge market nearby, which needs raw materials or products of primary treatment in the first place,” added the chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The interest of Kazakhstan business in cooperation with Belarusian partners was also noted by Ayan Yerenov, Chairman of the Board of the Foreign Trade Chamber of Kazakhstan, in an interview to STV Channel. “We invite Belarusian companies to our country. We are very interested in working in the IT sector. We are interested in agricultural products. We have vast lands and you have a good experience in cultivation,” said the chairman of the board. Ayan Yerenov stressed that Belarusian companies need to look at Kazakhstan not only as the final destination for their products, but also as a platform to access other regions.