Meeting with Russian businessman Vladimir Potanin

Belarus is open to closer cooperation with the Interros and Nornickel companies, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a meeting with Russian businessman Vladimir Potanin in Minsk.

“Given that Interros is not only Norilsk Nickel, but a multi-sectoral structure, we have plenty to discuss. I think there are many intersecting interests. I asked the Belarusian prime minister to brief you in detail on the main areas of Belarus’ development and the areas where we can cooperate,” the President said. “We are open to cooperation. We would like your company (a successful one, even in these difficult times) to cooperate with Belarus.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that Vladimir Potanin is a person well-versed in many matters and, among other things, knows very well the areas in which cooperation can be developed: “Dump trucks. Surprisingly to me, it turned out that tires are also of interest, I mean the tied made by our Belshina. Joint projects for the maintenance and creation of new equipment in Krasnoyarsk Territory are also interesting and promising for us. Your companies are multi-sector players: there is a humanitarian dimension and the IT. There are things we know how to do in Belarus. You also know perfectly well what we can do.”

The head of state also noted that Vladimir Potanin has Belarusian roots: “We are compatriots by our roots. Your grandfather was from Mogilev Oblast.”

"I’m a quarter Belarusian. And yes, he was a real farmer, through and through. So I do have roots there,” Vladimir Potanin confirmed.

"The whole point of this is for you to turn your attention to Belarus and for us to deepen our cooperation in this regard,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

Vladimir Potanin noted that he had spent a long time thinking before his visit to Belarus about which areas might be of mutual interest for cooperation. “Believe me, we have seriously considered all the possibilities. And I am very pleased that during this trip we are already managing to turn joint plans into concrete projects,” he said.

The head of the companies mentioned the cooperation agreement signed the previous day between Nornickel and BelAZ, aimed at combining efforts to develop scientific and technological potential for creating a new generation of mining equipment, introducing unmanned technologies for mining, and other innovations. The agreement provides for the establishment of a joint venture to implement these plans, as well as a full-profile repair base to develop the production, repair, and maintenance of underground mining equipment.

“This not only allows us to address the issue of equipping our enterprise with mining machinery. Joint cooperation will enable us to create a new line of equipment that, according to our calculations and hopes, will successfully compete with the best models. Because we are adding elements related to unmanned projects, new types of engines - more economical and safer. And we have tried to combine our cooperation in traditional mining equipment and other areas with developments in artificial intelligence and big data,” Vladimir Potanin said.