Belarus and Tambov region strengthen cooperation in all areas

4 августа 2014

By Darya Belousova-Petrovskaya: The agreement was reached during today's meeting between the President and Governor of the Tambov region. This Russian region is a reliable partner of Belarus, with the collaboration already producing significant results. For example, Gomselmash, Amkodor and MTZ dealerships and service centers have been established in the region.


However, there is still high potential in the development of the relationship, one of the key areas being cooperation in agriculture. The conversation also touched upon the establishment of joint ventures in the chemical and construction industries.


This is the sixth delegation from Russian regions hosted by Minsk since the beginning of the year, preceded by the delegations from the Yaroslavl, Amur, Mordovia, Kaluga and Khabarovsk regions. The development of integration relations and direct contacts is the shortest way to mutually beneficial cooperation. Strong economic ties with the Russian regions contribute significantly to the overall Belarusian-Russian trade turnover, which made up 40 million dollars last year.


The delegation headed up by Governor Oleg Betin comprises of 15 heads of the region's leading enterprises. The guests began their visit with laying a wreath at the monument on the Victory Square, traditionally paying a tribute to the soldiers fallen in the Great Patriotic War.


The main purpose of the visit is economy. Over the past five years, the trade turnover between Belarus and the Tambov region has more than doubled, amounting to nearly 45 million dollars in 2013. One of the main topics of the talks is cooperation in agro-industrial complex. More than 40% of the Tambov region population live and work in rural areas, and the region's main wealth is fertile black soil occupying nearly 90% of the territory. The region needs agricultural machinery, professionals and advanced technologies, and Alexander Lukashenko offers assistance in modernizing the agro-industrial complex. In turn, Governor Oleg Betin talks about creating a joint haulage company. With the population exceeding 1 million people, the region consists of 23 municipal districts and 7 urban districts and is interested in housing construction. The Belarusian side offers new technologies for the construction of high-rise buildings based on energy efficiency and quality.


Oleg Betin visited Amkodor and Minsk Tractor Plant, which resulted in the signing of several contracts on supplying about 200 Belarusian tractors to the Tambov region.


The discussion of the cooperation between Belarus and the Tambov region continued in the Government House and focused on new directions such as the cultivation of special healthy diet plants, processing and preservation of useful properties of sugar beet and potatoes as well as the establishment of a joint apple processing facility.