Events

MINSK, 9 January (BelTA) – The economic and political cooperation between Belarus and Armenia has been gaining momentum, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Armenia Stepan Sukhorenko said in an interview with the news agency Armenian News-NEWS.am, BelTA has learned.

“The economic and political relations between our countries have been developing steadily over the past years. There are no issues at all in the political field, because we both make part of the CIS, the CSTO and the single customs space, the Eurasian Economic Union. We have the same or very similar position regarding the international agenda. Therefore, we can say that our political relations are on the highest level possible. The same can be said about trade and economic cooperation. This cooperation has experienced some setback recently, as the world is still crisis-ridden and it is unclear when this crisis will be over. Armenia and Belarus have open economies. Therefore, the crisis had a very negative impact on the purchasing power of households,” Stepan Sukhorenko said.

The diplomat added that over the past decade the bilateral trade skyrocketed 16 times. In 2012 it approached $50 million. “The figure is smaller now for the reasons I have already mentioned. We believe that this is temporary and that the negative trends will reverse in the near future,” he noted.

The ambassador noted that Belarus exports a broad range of products to Armenia. They include heavy-duty trucks, BelAZ vehicles, farm machines, buses, tractors, light industry products. The supplies of foodstuffs, like meat and dairy products and vodka, are also increasing. Belarus eagerly buys Armenian cognac and juices. Armenia has started selling fig, cornelian cherry, apricot and peach jam in Belarus recently. “I am glad to say that there are no serious barriers to promoting closer cooperation. The accession to the Eurasian Economic Union is an additional impetus to economic growth. Competitors will face certain barriers, while the members of the single market will get additional incentives. We expect a dramatic growth in the bilateral trade,” the diplomat emphasized.