Flax and equipment manufacturing: what are the prospects for cooperation between the Vitebsk and Smolensk regions

Interregional cooperation between the Vitebsk and Smolensk regions, which helps to effectively overcome economic sanctions, as well as prospects for strengthening such interaction, were discussed at a meeting of the Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia on Energy, which took place in Vitebsk, reports a correspondent of BELTA.

Interaction between the border regions of Belarus and Russia increased several times over in 2023. Diversification of sales markets for enterprises in the Vitebsk region became one of the successful solutions for supporting the economy. Vitebsk region cooperates with all regions of Russia, and strong economic and cultural ties have already been established with border regions.

"In 2023, growth in trade turnover and exports between the Vitebsk and Smolensk regions continued. The share of the Smolensk region in the export of goods from Vitebsk to Russia annually accounts for about 10%, second only to supplies to Moscow and the Moscow region," said Anzhelika Nikitina, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee.

She added that enterprises in the server region of Belarus are interested in establishing their representative offices in Smolensk. "More than 300 leading enterprises of the Vitebsk region have registered their branches in cities of the Smolensk region," noted the Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee. She added that Smolensk serves as a kind of distribution center, from where goods from the Belarusian Dvina region are supplied to dozens of regions in Russia.

Anzhelika Nikitina emphasized that minimizing logistics costs plays a decisive role in supplies to the border region of Russia. More than 400 types of consumer goods and production-related goods are supplied here. Sales of machine tools, finished metal products, and special machinery have increased by almost 2.5 times. Imports from the Smolensk region are mainly represented by goods produced in other regions of Russia. These include fish, wheat, polyamides, polymers, knitted fabrics, copper wire, and motor vehicles. The two regions have established strong ties and are implementing joint projects in the fields of education, culture, and tourism. Mutual beneficial interregional cooperation can be developed in the flax industry, production of water purification equipment, construction, and other sectors.

Chairman of the Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia on Energy, Alexey Kushnarenko, added that specialists from the Vitebsk region are also helping in the construction of gas distribution networks in the Smolensk region.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by