By Ilona Krasutskaya: Belarus' relations with Russian regions have always been characterized by special warmth and dynamism. According to the President, direct contacts form the basis of the Belarusian-Russian relations, which has been proved during the visit of a Mordovia delegation to Belarus.
Alexander Lukashenko and Head of the Republic of Mordovia Vladimir Volkov discussed cooperation issues. As noted by the President, last year the bilateral trade turnover declined by more than two times as compared to 2012, amounting to about 50 million dollars. Back in 2008, it made up 170 million. Alexander Lukashenko suggested concrete initiatives to return to those figures.
Another cooperation area is agriculture. On the whole, the industry is developing rapidly in Mordovia. Vladimir Volkov openly admits that Mordovia follows Belarus' pattern of agriculture development. The region will be grateful to borrow our experience in raising cattle, construction of vegetable stores and milk processing plants. According to Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Rusyi, scientific developments in agriculture have to be united and shared.
Less than in two months, Belarus will host the Ice Hockey World Championship, and Mordovia is preparing to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018. In this regard, Alexander Lukashenko offers assistance in designing and constructing sport and residential facilities in Mordovia.
After the meeting, the Mordovia delegation visited MAZ plant, which resulted in Vladimir Volkov's proposal to create a joint assembly plant in Saransk. By the way, last year MAZ delivered 24 trucks worth more than 1.5 million dollars to Mordovia. In 2014, this figure is expected to reach 2 million. The same applies to passenger transport.
Discussion of trade and economic relations continued in the Council of Ministers. The parties decided to count on agriculture, construction and innovations and the humanitarian sphere. Belarus and Mordovia share a common culture and history, which can be confirmed by the fact that more than 120 residents of Mordovia who participated the liberation of Belarus will be awarded with commemorative medals.
Tomorrow, the delegation will visit Minsk Motor Works and the CIS largest road machinery manufacturing plant. The first meeting of the working group on cooperation between Belarus and Mordovia is also scheduled for tomorrow.
