Business news

BREST, 12 December (BelTA) – Relations between Belarus and Kazakhstan have reached the level of strategic partnership, BelTA learned from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Belarus Yergali Bulegenov in Brest on 12 December.

“For all these years trade and economic relations between the countries have been on the rise. We’ve nearly reached the one-billion mark in trade,” said the Ambassador of Kazakhstan. In his words, the slowdown observed in 2015 and in 2016 has been caused by the global financial and economic crisis that affects Belarus, Kazakhstan, and other countries. “But both sides are resolute to survive the crisis and achieve good results. We are now looking for ways to improve the bilateral trade and economic indicators,” stressed the Ambassador.

Apart from that, the diplomat said he believes that the advancement of allied relations helps the countries tackle the global crisis. “We have good prospects in the Eurasian Economic Union. It is no accident that many countries across the globe, not only our closest neighbors, are interested in establishing good relations with the Eurasian Economic Union,” said the Ambassador.

In January-September 2016 the trade turnover between Brest Oblast and Kazakhstan totaled $40 million, with Belarusian export as high as $38.5 million. “The surplus of foreign trade operations is large and stable. We have increased deliveries of virtually all the main commodities by a considerable margin,” noted Deputy Chairman of the Brest Oblast Executive Committee Mikhail Serkov. “Kazakhstan is an important partner for us. We will work harder to improve our cooperation in 2017.”

The opening ceremony of the Kazakh Cinema Week took place in Brest on 12 December. It is the fifth time the annual cultural action has been arranged in the oblast capital. This year the event is timed to Day of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the 25^th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence.