22 February 2012
Vitebsk and Moscow Oblasts to restore technological chains
VITEBSK, 22 February (BelTA) – Restoring technological chains between enterprises of Vitebsk and Moscow Oblasts will become one of the major cooperation areas between the two regions, Konstantin Cherny, Deputy Chairman of the Economic Committee, head of the investment policy and foreign economic department of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee, told the media. Chairman of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets held a meeting with Moscow Oblast Governor Boris Gromov during the visit of Vitebsk Oblast delegation to Moscow Oblast. Major areas of mutual cooperation were identified. Particularly, the two oblasts intend to increase bilateral trade up to $600 million by the end of 2012 and up to $1 billion by the end of 2013. But the regions are interested not only in trade. Setting up joint enterprises may become one of the promising areas, which can work successfully in the Single Economic Space. The Moscow region is home to science-intensive industry and cooperated closely with Vitebsk Oblast back in the times of the USSR. Now it is time the regions restored lost contacts, created processing chains to avoid unnecessary mediators, noted Konstantin Cherny. The parties agreed to set up taskforces to develop a new agreement on cooperation. Vitebsk and Moscow Oblasts signed an agreement on cooperation in 1996 which was a framework document and lacked concrete content. In 2011 the trade between Vitebsk and Moscow Oblasts increased by 13.1% from 2010 to $371.2 million. The export of goods to Moscow Oblast totaled $296.9 million, the import made up $74.3 million. Vitebsk Oblast posted a trade surplus of $222.6 million. Food makes up one third of the deliveries to Moscow Oblast.БЕЛТА
