Meeting with Governor of Russia’s Voronezh Oblast Aleksandr Gusev

Industrial cooperation should become the basis for interaction with Russian regions, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Governor of Voronezh Oblast, Russia Aleksandr Gusev on 28 April.

“Industrial cooperation should become a key aspect of our trade and economic relations. We discussed this topic in detail during my recent visit to Primorye, and also recently with the Russian President. Practice shows that it is cooperation that lays a strong foundation for long-term relations and gives a good integration effect,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

When opening assembly plants in Russia, Belarus aims to increase the degree of their localization, which guarantees new jobs in the region, the President said.

“It is obvious that one of the leading themes is cooperation in the construction sector. You know how Belarusian builders work. Perhaps it is no match to Belarusian specialists in terms of value for money. The quality of construction works is very high,” the head of state stressed.

According to him, this was achieved thanks to the Soviet school. “It is not my achievement here, neither the current minister's or the government's. It came from those times. We did not destroy this school, we preserved it. I am more and more convinced today that it became possible only because we did not destroy the state construction institutions. We still have the industrial groups we once had. They have risen to a higher level. If a private company has the same base, it participates in construction projects. We do not discriminate against private companies,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

On the other hand, requirements to the developers are quite tough in Belarus. This helps to avoid cheating schemes and regulate the price of housing. “They criticize us saying that it is a dictatorship, not a market economy. The main thing is that there are results. So we continue our work,” said the head of state.

In his words, Belarus has a lot of know how in modernization of transport infrastructure. Belavtodor Holding Company successfully fulfills orders in the CIS countries. Belarus offers a comprehensive approach to repairs and reconstruction of roads, bridges and overpasses.

Belarusian companies are ready to supply all kinds of passenger, municipal and agricultural equipment to Voronezh Oblast. Agriculture is another promising area of cooperation. In addition to direct supplies of high-quality foodstuffs to Voronezh Oblast, Belarus is ready to share its experience and technologies in cattle breeding, pedigree farming and seed production, Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

“The housing and utilities sector means both water purification and drainage, and also elevators. If our experience is useful to you, you are welcome to study it. We are ready for comprehensive cooperation,” the Belarusian leader concluded.