Belarus-Kaliningrad Oblast cooperation commission discusses import substitution

“The participants of the meeting stated that Belarus is the main foreign partner of this Russian region, the traditional leader in export, import and overall trade. In Q1 2023, Belarus' trade with Leningrad Oblast went up 38% compared to the same period of 2022. By the end of the year the parties plan to reach $1 billion in mutual trade,” the press service said.

The meeting participants discussed the following issues: coordination of import substitution and mutual support in overcoming the consequences of sanctions, synchronization of market protection measures, food security, and modernization of the most important infrastructure elements.

The parties also mentioned great progress in cooperation thanks to joint efforts: joint production of utilities machinery has been launched in one of the districts of Leningrad Oblast, the Russian region has purchased about 100 units of Belarusian agricultural equipment since the beginning of the year, and Belarusian builders built a school for 825 children in the town of Novoselye.

“The parties signed the protocol of the 11th meeting of the joint commission on cooperation between Belarus and Leningrad Oblast. The document covers projects of trade and economic cooperation in industry, agriculture, construction, culture, tourism, and youth policy,” the press service added.

“For us, the visit of our partners from Belarus is always a meaningful and constructive dialogue. We work together to implement the tasks set by our presidents in order to develop a coherent system of integration cooperation and reach a new level of economic integration. Interaction between Leningrad Oblast and Belarus is a good example of how to build interregional ties,” Leningrad Oblast Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said.