Governor: Belarusian products are in demand in Irkutsk Oblast of Russia

Brest played host to the 8th meeting of the working group on cooperation between Belarus and Irkutsk Oblast of Russia on 7 December. "During the 7th meeting of the working group, we scheduled 42 events. We have completed the work on 32 of them and still working on the remaining 10. Four of them were postponed to 2024 due to objective and subjective circumstances," Igor Kobzev said.

The cooperation is gaining momentum. This year Belarus' exports to Irkutsk Oblast are firmly on the growth track. "We are creating the conditions conducive to business. Your products are in demand, they are competitive. We will continue working on this front. Irkutsk Oblast's exports to Belarus are a little short of what we expected. We will work out the areas where we need to pick up steam," the governor of Irkutsk Oblast emphasized.

The working group discussed prospects for further cooperation. The parties intend to cooperate more closely in the manufacturing sector, agribusiness, education, culture, and tourism. For example, there is an idea to set up joint ventures to make cashmere and wool products. A joint project for the anniversary of the Great Victory is in a pipeline. "We would like to visit the Great Patriotic War places, historical heritage sites, including the Brest Fortress. We will encourage young people from Irkutsk Oblast to go visit Brest Oblast and see its memorable sites," Igor Kobzev said.

The delegation of Irkutsk Oblast arrived in Belarus on a multi-day visit. The program provides for business matchmaking events, visits to a number of enterprises, Brest State Technical University.