MINSK, 2 February (BelTA) – Belarus' Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko named promising avenues of cooperation between Belarus and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast as he met with Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Governor Gleb Nikitin, BelTA has learned.

“Our cooperation has significantly expanded in recent years. I cannot but mention such an important area as nuclear energy. Many enterprises and organizations from Nizhny Novgorod take part in the design and construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. We use a large amount of materials from your region during construction,” said Roman Golovchenko.

In turn, Belarus ships machines, equipment, road construction machinery, farm machines, municipal vehicles, electric transport, food products to Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. “I think we are approaching the milestone that you discussed at the meeting with the president of Belarus – which is $1 billion in trade. We have probably hit this target already if we take into account indirect deliveries. But this is not a goal in itself, but simply a result of our fruitful work,” the prime minister said.

Cooperation in the manufacturing sector and import substitution is taking on new significance as these areas are crucial for ensuring technological sovereignty and economic security. According to the Belarusian head of government, the work on this front is also bearing fruit.

“I would like to draw attention to machine tool products. Now they are also of key importance as the Russian Federation mounted a serious effort to significantly increase the output of products for various purposes. Belarusian machine tool enterprises have the necessary capacity and competencies to produce a wide range of equipment,” Roman Golovchenko emphasized.

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast actively uses Mogilevliftmash elevators. The joint venture has a production facility in the city of Kstovo. The company is ready to participate in elevator replacement programs.

Belarus' traditional exports are food and agricultural products. “Statistics show that in 2022 we significantly boosted export both in terms of volume and assortment. Our trade in food products increased by almost a quarter. This trade is a two-way street, we export products to and import them from Nizhny Novgorod Oblast,” the premier said.

Belarusian R&D firms have extensive experience of working in Russian regions. Agreements were reached on their participation in the construction of general education schools in towns of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. “We would like to venture into bigger projects. For several years already we have been discussing a possibility to launch a construction project under the tentative name “Belarusian Quarter”. We need to understand how viable this project is, whether we are ready for it and what stands in the way of running this project,” Roman Golovchenko said.

Belarus also offers Nizhny Novgorod Oblast its technologies for the construction and upgrade of dairy complexes. Various options are on the table, including turnkey construction and participation in projects as equipment suppliers.

The prime minister also noted that it is necessary to resume railway communication between Belarus and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. He welcomed the decision by Nordwind Airlines to launch flights between Minsk and Nizhny Novgorod on 2 March.

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