Business news

MINSK, 6 December (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia’s Kaluga Oblast will intensify cooperation in industry, agribusiness, and science. The matter was discussed during the session of the working group on Belarus-Kaluga Oblast cooperation, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian State Science and Technology Committee.

The sides reviewed interaction in industry, agribusiness, construction, transport, healthcare, science, technology, and innovations. They plan to adopt a plan of action to implement the Belarus-Kaluga Oblast agreement on cooperation in trade, economy, science, technology, and culture for 2018-2020.

Chairman of the State Science and Technology Committee Alexander Shumilin noted that the implementation of Union State programs aimed at intensive innovative economic development is an essential part of Belarus-Russia integration. In his words, scientific, research, and educational organizations of Kaluga Oblast take an active part in Union State programs. For instance, the Obninsk research and production enterprise Technologiya is participating in a Union State program to develop innovative technologies for the production of competitive composite materials, matrices, and reinforcing elements. The Tsyb Medical Radiological Research Center and the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Radiology and Agroecology interact with the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry under a Union State program to mitigate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident.

Alexander Shumilin views cooperation with Russian regions and regular forums of regions as top-priority avenues of interaction. “As a result of the latest forum in Moscow, over 77 cooperation agreements were signed as well as commercial contracts worth a total of $450 million,” he remarked.

A Kaluga Oblast delegation led by First Deputy Kaluga Oblast Governor Dmitry Denisov will stay in Minsk till 7 December. The Russians are expected to hold meetings and negotiations at the Architecture and Construction Ministry, the Healthcare Ministry, the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and other organizations.

In January-September 2017, Belarus-Kaluga Oblast trade reached #337.5 million, up 29% from the same period of 2016. The exports totaled $91.6 million and went up by 19.3%, the imports stood at $245.9 million (up 33.1%). Belarus started exporting some new items to Kaluga Oblast in 2017, namely trucks, generating units, computing machinery for automated data processing, and road construction equipment.