Opinions & Interviews

Moscow Oblast governor highlights strong commitment to partnership with Belarus

MINSK, 25 June (BelTA) - Moscow Oblast greatly values its relations with Belarus, the region’s governor Andrei Vorobyov told the media following a meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk on 25 June, BelTA has learned.

“We greatly value our relations with Belarus,” the head of the Russian region emphasized.

He particularly highlighted humanitarian cooperation, notably in healthcare (everything related to pediatrics, modern methods of treating children, holding major consultations and conferences of doctors from the two countries) and education (mutual exchanges and visits).

“As for economy. We are leaders in terms of trade, both exports and imports, across various product categories. These include food products and mechanical engineering. We are actively carrying out this work. Trade between Moscow Oblast and the Republic of Belarus is at around $11 billion [according to the estimates by the Russian side]. We also cherish this,” the governor said.

For example, in 2025 Moscow Oblast purchased Belarusian food products worth nearly $1.2 billion. These include dairy and meat products, confectionery goods, and so on.

In Moscow Oblast, there are more than 120 enterprises with Belarusian capital. Minsk Automobile Plant is currently preparing to expand its presence in the region. Sites have already been selected in the region for the regional center of MAZ and the Belarusian Cement Company.

“All these are important elements of cooperation,” Andrei Vorobyov noted, adding that all these issues were discussed during the meeting with the Belarusian head of state. The governor expressed hope that by the next meeting, the parties will also have the opportunity to speak about positive dynamics in cooperation, mutual understanding, and the partnership between Belarus and Russia.

According to the Belarusian side, in January-April 2026, trade with Russia increased by more than 18% year-on-year. Exports surged by 20%, imports by 17%. Belarus had a surplus in trade.

The top ten buyers of Belarusian goods since the beginning of this year include Moscow, Moscow Oblasy, St. Petersburg, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk, Leningrad, Bryansk, and Tula regions, the Republic of Tatarstan, and Rostov Oblast. Together, they account for approximately 76% of Belarusian exports to Russia. Overall, positive export dynamics this year have been recorded in trade with 57 subjects of the Russian Federation.

print version

make home page

add to bookmarks