The Belarus government has prolonged the agreement with Sberbank of Russia on supporting the export of Belarusian vehicles. The statement was made by Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov as he met with Igor Orlov, Governor of Russia's Arkhangelsk Oblast, on 30 March, BelTA has learned. Andrei Kobyakov remarked that Belarus is interested in exporting a wide choice of vehicles — agricultural, municipal, road construction ones — to Arkhangelsk Oblast. There are plans to use financial mechanisms such as leasing and subsidized interest rates on loans granted by Russian banks for purchasing Belarusian vehicles. “In particular, we have recently extended the agreement with Sberbank of Russia into 2015. In accordance with the agreement the bank offers loans to its clients willing to buy Belarusian vehicles while we subsidize the interest rates using the Belarusian budget,” said the Prime Minister. According to Andrei Kobyakov, trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and Russia's Arkhangelsk Oblast grows dynamically. In 2014 the bilateral trade turnover exceeded $200 million. Belarus is interested in balancing trade by increasing the delivery of a wide choice of products to Arkhangelsk Oblast. Andrei Kobyakov pointed out that, for instance, good prospects are opening up for the mechanical engineering industry. BelAZ vehicles have earned good reputation in Arkhangelsk Oblast. “We would be interested in expanding cooperation in this area. This year's shipments of these vehicles to Arkhangelsk Oblast are expected at $2.6 million. It is a good figure albeit a small one,” noted the Prime Minister. He went on saying that a similar situation is evolving with regard to supplies of Belarusian buses to the Russian region. Andrei Kobyakov pointed out that Belarus is ready to offer gas engine vehicles to Arkhangelsk Oblast. In turn, the Arkhangelsk Oblast Governor noted that the Russian region is interested in advancing direct cooperation with Belarus without mediators. He was satisfied with the fact that relations between Belarus and Arkhangelsk Oblast were advancing to a new level. A draft agreement between the governments of Belarus and Arkhangelsk Oblast on trade, economic, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation was initialed in Minsk on 30 March. Besides, an action plan was signed to advance trade, economic, and humanitarian cooperation between the Arkhangelsk Oblast government and the Minsk Oblast administration in 2015-2016. Led by Governor Igor Orlov, the delegation of Russia's Arkhangelsk Oblast is in Belarus on a visit through 31 March. The delegation includes representatives of the forestry industry, transport industry, agribusiness and trade, tourism, the Development Corporation of Arkhangelsk Oblast. The Russian region is interested in buying Belarusian heavy vehicles, urban buses, and food. In turn, Arkhangelsk Oblast is ready to export pulp and paper industry products and high-yielding varieties of potatoes.
Written by belta.by
