Business news

MINSk, 6 November (BelTA) - Hungary is interested in implementing joint projects with Belarus in IT and woodworking, Laszlo Bodi, Vice President of the International Committee at the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said ahead of the Belarusian-Hungarian business forum, BelTA has learned.

When asked about promising areas for joint ventures, Laszlo Bodi stressed that Hungary is interested in joint projects primarily in IT. “We are also interested in woodworking, pharmaceutics, chemical industry and oil refining. Cooperation of small and medium-sized enterprises is also very important. They are the backbone of the economy,” he added.

Political and economic relations between the two countries are at a high level, said Csaba Balogh, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary. “However, we think that we do not use all existing possibilities. Mutual trade has been growing and we would like to move to the next stage and see which joint ventures can be set up in Belarus or in Hungary.

We can work together in agriculture, IT sector, science, water management. The role of the state is very important. We need to prepare the groundwork for the uninterrupted work of enterprises,” he said.

The deputy chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Nabeshko named agriculture, mechanical engineering, pharmaceutics and light industry as priority sectors for cooperation. “We hope to establish new long-term contacts so that our enterprises could find partners in IT, consulting, woodworking and other areas. We are not just interested in developing trade relations but also in boltering ties, expanding joint ventures and setting up new companies,” he noted.

The Belarusian-Hungarian business forum is held as part of the 9th meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. Taking part in the forum are 12 Hungarian companies and about 40 Belarusian enterprises. The forum focuses on advantages of using e-commerce platforms in mutual trade between the two countries, investment opportunities of Hungary, and legal regulation for business. The program includes B2B business negotiations.