Vitebsk region has signed contracts worth over 125 million dollars for the Forum of Regions

For the Vitebsk region, participation in this significant event is of great importance, as it directly borders Russia, with whose regions numerous cultural and economic ties have long been firmly established.

Thorough preparation for the forum was carried out over three months, emphasizes the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Subbotin:

— First of all, we focused on interregional cooperation. To this end, we reviewed and updated existing and upcoming joint documents (agreements, protocols, action plans), and also discussed with our Russian partners the possibilities of signing agreements with new regions.

Giving specific examples, the head of the Vitebsk region recalled that in April, an Action Plan for 2023–2025 for the implementation of the agreement between the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee and the administration of the Kostroma region on trade, economic, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation was signed online. During the International Economic Forum in Vitebsk on May 18, an agreement on trade and economic cooperation between Vitebsk and Arkhangelsk was concluded. Directly at the forum, it is planned to sign an Action Plan for 2023–2025 for the implementation of the cooperation agreement between the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee and Bashkortostan in the trade, economic, scientific, technical, and humanitarian spheres, as well as an Action Plan for the implementation of the cooperation agreement between the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia and the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies. Thus, in addition to agreements, the emphasis is on signing specific plans for their implementation.

In terms of interaction between enterprises, work has been intensified on signing new contracts and supplementing existing general contracts. In total, during the preparation for the forum and during its proceedings, contracts will be signed with 28 economic entities of the Vitebsk region. These are 123 commercial contracts. The amount of export contracts amounted to 2.97 billion Russian rubles and 89.1 million US dollars. The total is about 125.5 million US dollars.

To enhance the effectiveness of cooperation, the Vitebsk region is focusing on developing direct contacts between business partners and regions. And this approach is fully justified, as emphasized in the Committee for Economy of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee:
— Establishing direct contacts between producers and consumers is the most sought-after form of cooperation, which economic entities of both Belarus and Russia strive for. By bypassing the chain of intermediaries, it is possible to increase the price competitiveness of products, reduce cargo handling costs, tighten control over product quality, eliminate cases of unfair competition in common markets, and increase the level of trust and responsibility of the parties. For these purposes, special action plans have been adopted, and control over their implementation is assigned to the governments of the parties. 

The prospects for cooperation in the coming years are transparent, as they are based on issues of industrial cooperation between industrial enterprises, notes Alexander Subbotin:

— First of all, we need to substitute imports that previously came from unfriendly countries, form schemes for their delivery to consumers, and establish settlement terms. In fact, it is necessary to almost completely rebuild the previously existing interaction schemes between enterprises and their dealers, involving the banks of the parties, services responsible for product certification, technical regulations, qualification requirements and expertise of product and raw material quality, as well as the technological processes used in their production. It is also important to maintain the competitiveness of products both in our markets and in the markets of other countries. Currently, this work is being carried out among enterprises in the machine-building, petrochemical, energy, light, and food industries.

Undoubtedly, the foreign policy situation of recent years has affected the integration of Belarusian-Russian relations. However, for our countries, the sanctions pressure from the West has only played into our hands, forcing us to revise relations and strengthen interaction. At the same time, it should be taken into account that integration processes between Belarus and Russia have never ceased, but have particularly increased since 2020, stated Alexander Subbotin:

— This is evident from the intensification of dialogue at the level of the Customs Union, the EAEU, the CIS, and the SCO. Unified approaches are being developed in conducting currency transactions, organizing logistics, leveling the conditions for economic activities, and social protection of citizens.

. Conditions for conducting procurement of goods and services that would not infringe upon the interests of the parties, as well as options for admitting individual enterprises of the parties to state programs and national projects, are being worked out.

According to SB materials

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by