Business news

MINSK, 20 November (BelTA) – Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov suggests selling a wide range of passenger vehicles, municipal vehicles, and road construction machines to Adjara. He made the statement as he met with Archil Khabadze, chairman of the government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara (Georgia), on 20 November, BelTA has learned.

Speaking about cooperation prospects, Andrei Kobyakov pointed out that Adjara, in particular, the city of Batumi, pays close attention to the development of infrastructure, primarily tourism infrastructure. This is why the Prime Minister underlined: “We are ready to offer a wide range of passenger vehicles, municipal vehicles, and road construction machines to Adjara. Minsk Automobile Plant now makes buses powered by gas engine fuel. They could come in handy for the resort area.”

The Prime Minister also believes that cooperation in civil engineering is a good idea. “We have enterprises capable of building even the most complicated facilities and offering turn-key solutions at that, starting with designing, going through construction, and ending with handing over the ready facility to the customer,” stated Andrei Kobyakov. He also mentioned Belarus’ accomplishments in making construction materials and finishing materials.

According to Andrei Kobyakov, it is necessary to develop and bolster mutual trade in food. First, it is necessary to determine the specific economic operators that will take care of the matter.

“We have good opportunities for advancing manufacturing cooperation,” the Prime Minister was convinced. The joint production of elevators was mentioned as one of the promising areas. “We know that elevators in Georgia and in Adjara require replacements. Elevators are also needed for your new civil engineering projects,” he noted.

Talking about other spheres, the Prime Minister mentioned cooperation in training qualified specialists. Belarus boasts a well-developed higher-education system that can train specialists for the production sector, agriculture, healthcare, and so on.

The Belarusian head of government said he was confident that the visit of the foreign guest would contribute to the more vigorous implementation of the agreements reached during the official visit of the Belarus president to Georgia in spring 2015. “We believe that the current volume of Belarus-Georgia trade — $64 million in 2014 — is very small. The potentials of our economies can generate so much more,” said Andrei Kobyakov.

A business forum is in progress in Belarus. It is an opportunity for Belarusian and Georgian private companies to plan the implementation of joint projects. “I expect the forum to be effective,” added Andrei Kobyakov.

In turn, Archil Khabadze also mentioned the importance of the business forum going on in Minsk and thanked the Belarusian side for the warm welcome.

Adjara is one of the best developed provinces in Georgia. It is located in the country’s extreme southwest. Apart from that, it is one of the main tourist attractions in Georgia. The region actively attracts foreign investments. The main investors are companies from the UK, Turkey, and Ukraine. The government finances the implementation of infrastructure projects, primarily construction and repairs of motorways as well as water supply systems. The climate allows growing tobacco, tea, and citrus fruits. Wine making is less developed.