THE SYNERGY OF BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT GIVES THE BEST RESULTS. THIS OPINION WAS VOICED BY THE СHAIRMAN OF THE BELARUSIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY MIKHAEL MIATLIKOV DURING A BUSINESS MEETING OF BELARUS AND THE IRKUTSK REGION OF RUSSIA. THE EVENT, ORGANIZED BY THE BELCCI AND THE UNION "CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF EASTERN SIBERIA" WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE VISIT OF ROMAN GOLOVCHENKO, THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS, PROVIDED A PLATFORM FOR EFFECTIVE DIRECT BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS. THE MEETING RESULTED IN CONTRACTS WORTH ALMOST 9.5 MILLION US DOLLARS.
The Irkutsk region is one of the supporting regions in Siberia. The Republic of Belarus has a long and strong relationship with this region of the Russian Federation. Despite the six thousand kilometers' distance from Minsk to Irkutsk, the parties are actively developing ties across the board.
The volume of mutual trade is consistently high. Trade turnover tends to grow: while this figure was about half a billion US dollars in 2021, last year it actually reached 750 million dollars. The growth trend continues in the first months of this year.
The action plan for the implementation of the Agreement on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Cultural and Humanitarian Cooperation between Belarus and the Irkutsk Region for 2023–2025, signed at the end of last year during the seventh meeting of the bilateral working group, includes more than fifty events. The plans embrace not only economic issues related to industry and agriculture, but also cultural, tourist, scientific and technical agenda. For each of them the parties have something to share and something to learn from each other.
The retail market of the Irkutsk region offers a wide range of Belarusian goods; there are cosmetics, footwear and accessories stores, as well as groceries. In order to create a single economic space, support direct product flow between the Brest and Irkutsk regions, the Union "Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Eastern Siberia" holds the Internet site of the Trading House "Irkutsk-Brest". A cooperation agreement is being implemented with the Brest Branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
On a regular basis, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Irkutsk region and the main Belarusian manufacturers of agricultural machinery exchange information on the possible volumes and conditions of supply. Belarusian enterprises are able to meet almost any needs of the Russian region in modern automotive, agricultural, road construction and municipal
equipment.
Cooperation in the healthcare sector is being established. Agreements on scientific and practical cooperation have been concluded with Belarusian research institutes in the fields of physiology and biochemistry. The set-up of a joint production of medicines in Belarus is being considered.
The parties are also interested in scientific, cultural, educational exchanges, in increasing export and import of goods and services.
As part of the implementation of the mentioned Agreement on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Cultural and Humanitarian Cooperation, the delegation of the Republic of Belarus headed by Roman Golovchenko, the Prime Minister, visited the Irkutsk region on April 27–28, 2023. Alongside the public officials, the delegation included the Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mikhael Miatlikov, heads of companies from the fields of mechanical engineering, aircraft manufacturing, pharmaceuticals sector, the production of medical equipment and drugs,
and others.
A meeting of the Belarusian and Irkutsk business representatives was organized during the visit by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Eastern Siberia.
The Irkutsk City Center Hotel gathered leaders and representatives of business from Belarus and the Irkutsk region, many of whom had already arrived to the meeting to conclude contracts. Entrepreneurs, representing over 50 enterprises and organizations from both sides, discussed in detail the possibilities of cooperation, promising projects, problematic issues of bilateral cooperation and ways to eliminate them.
The event was opened by the heads of both Chambers of Commerce.
In his welcoming speech, the Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mikhael Miatlikov said: "Today a large Belarusian delegation is visiting the Irkutsk land. At the same time, a working visit of the Prime Minister of Belarus and meetings with the leadership of the region are taking place. I think that such a synergy of business and government will give the best results. Therefore, I am sure that the meetings to take place today will bring results and new contracts."
As Aleksey Sobol, President of the Union "Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Eastern Siberia" noted, companies representing a wide range of sectors of the Irkutsk region economy had showed interest in participating in B2B negotiations with the business community of Belarus. The sectors include aircraft construction, oil and gas production, sale and maintenance of agricultural machinery, production of glucometers and diabetic test strips, road construction equipment, batteries, furniture, car accessories, ceramic bricks, lubricants, sales of natural stone, as well as construction services, logistics, retail, and much more. "We've tried to bring together companies from a variety of industries. We hope that they will find their partners from Belarus, and our relations will develop for the benefit of our states," the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Eastern Siberia said, wishing the participants successful contacts and contracts.
Following welcoming speeches and presentations of Belarusian companies, the heads of both Chambers signed an agreement on cooperation between the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Union "Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Eastern Siberia".
On the same day, eleven more documents – cooperation agreements and foreign trade contracts – were signed between business circles representatives at the Irkutsk City Center negotiation platform.
In total, the contracts signed during the visit of the Belarusian delegation to Russia's Irkutsk region are worth 9.4 million US dollars. This is a significant contribution to the future deepening of partnership and cooperation ties, an increase in trade turnover by the end of this year.
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