Meeting with Governor of Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Gleb Nikitin

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Governor of Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Gleb Nikitin in Minsk on 9 December.

“There is room to grow. Currently our trade is over $700 million. We set the goal of a billion. I think that we will achieve a billion in trade in our lifetime, despite the current problems and difficulties which make us stronger if we do not stand still. We have learned how to produce trams, electric buses, and buses. We manufacture a lot of things. But we do it together. This is also very important," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

Belarus is also ready to continue its participation in various construction projects.

Another proposal is related to the cooperation in the shipbuilding industry: "We are ready to work together in shipbuilding. The point is not even that we are not a maritime power, but we can seriously help in the construction of river vessels. You are building a lot. We are ready to participate with our industrial enterprises."

“We are ready to work in agriculture. You know our capabilities. It's not just about supply and sale of farm machinery. That's where we started back in the day. We are ready to work together with you in terms of production, maintenance and repair of agricultural machinery, ready to supply the necessary farm produce to your market. In turn, we are ready to buy the products we need from you,” the Belarusian leader said.

The President also spoke about the possibility of opening a Belarusian trading house in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, which would sell both food and industrial goods in this Russian region.

“With your support, we are ready to implement any project. We need only one thing - support, guarantees, so that we do not get bogged down in the vast expanses of Russia, as we often do. We start working with some private enterprise and then away it goes and we can't find it... That's why we need guarantees, reliability. We will not run away, because our large enterprises are mostly state-owned. They know what they have to do and they do it. Therefore, under such conditions, we are ready to work with you in all areas that you need for the further development of your beautiful region,” the Belarusian leader assured.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also noted the long-standing cooperation with Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, both under the current and previous leaders of this region. Valery Shantsev was governor of the region from 2005 to 2017. “I remember when we launched the projects in agriculture, industry. I remember how he asked for grain and potato seeds,” the head of state said. He stated that the region has now achieved a lot and Belarus is happy to be part of these achievements. “You have done a great job. You have made a lot of progress in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast,” Aleksandr Lukashenko praised.