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Industry, agriculture, education: Kaluga Oblast governor on cooperation with Belarus
MINSK, 27 July (BelTA) – Following a meeting with the Belarusian head of state, Governor of Russia’s Kaluga Oblast Vladislav Shapsha spoke to journalists about promising areas of cooperation between the Russian region and Belarus, BelTA reports.
Vladislav Shapsha noted that successful cooperation has been established between Minsk Automobile Plant and the Kaluga based company Merkator in the production of municipal utility vehicles. “Previously, platforms were brought to Russia, and vehicles were built on their basis. Now, we bring equipment to Belarus, and vehicles that keep our streets clean are produced at MAZ,” he emphasized.
Agricultural cooperation was also on the agenda, with specific focus on the construction of a modern farm that will be fully equipped by the Belarusian side. “The farm is quite substantial, with around 1,500 head of cattle. We expect it to become a flagship project for Belarus in Russia. For Kaluga Oblast, it will represent a major boost to agricultural development,” the governor noted.
Science and technology could become another area of cooperation. “In Obninsk, Rosatom is constructing Europe’s largest radiopharmaceutical production facility, which will also be the first in Russia. These technologies make it possible to diagnose and treat many diseases, not only cancer. This is a major breakthrough in science, medicine, and, I am confident, in our cooperation,” the governor of Kaluga Oblast stated.
In addition, a world class center for training specialists in nuclear energy is being established in the Russian region. The center has set itself ambitious goals: to train 20% of the global workforce in this sector. “We are steadily moving toward this goal and are ready to train young people, including specialists who will build, maintain and operate nuclear power units on Belarusian territory,” Vladislav Shapsha assured.
The governor noted that Kaluga Oblast is successfully cooperating with Belarusian specialists in the construction sector.
Vladislav Shapsha also addressed the issue of wood processing, where Kaluga Oblast could join forces with Belarus: “Kaluga Oblast is half covered by forests. We are using our own resources, those of neighboring regions, and are ready to harness the capabilities of Belarus as our main strategic partner.”
He also noted that Kaluga Oblast is home to a multimodal railway terminal for cargo delivery. Several years ago, it was proposed that the terminal be made available to Belarus for shipping goods to Chinese ports. Vladislav Shapsha emphasized that work is currently underway to quadruple the capacity of this “dry port.”
“We offer companies from various countries, primarily friendly ones, including Belarus, an opportunity to use these capacities to establish their production facilities there. The aim is to make it not merely a transit hub for goods, but also a production site where goods can be manufactured and sent straight to the final consumer. This work is ongoing and will continue,” the Kaluga Oblast governor concluded.
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