Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 5 December (BelTA) – Russia’s Kursk Oblast plans to conclude agreements on trade and economic cooperation with Minsk, Vitebsk and Grodno, Kursk Oblast Governor Alexander Mikhailov said during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, BelTA has learned.

“We have relations with Gomel Oblast and Mogilev Oblast. During this visit, we will sign an agreement on cooperation with the Minsk City Hall. Agreements with Vitebsk Oblast and Grodno Oblast are in the pipeline,” Alexander Mikhailov said.

This is the six time the Russian governor has come to Belarus. The current delegation of Kursk Oblast includes 45 persons. “Once we had a very small trade. Then we reached good figures but then the recession came. But in January-September this year the trade rose by 1.5 times over the same period of 2016. By the end of the year we will have approximately $140 million in the bilateral trade. There are prospects for increasing the trade further. It is very important for us,” stressed Aleksandr Mikhailov.

This year marks 15 years since the agreement on trade, economic, sci-tech and cultural cooperation was signed between the Belarusian government and the administration of Kursk Oblast. “I would like to express sincere gratitude for a friendly climate in our relations,” the head of the Russian region said.