OREANDA-NEWS. This year the trade turnover between Belarus and the Moscow oblast is supposed to increase up to \\$3 billion, Belarus’ Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov told media after a session of the working group for cooperation between Belarus and the Moscow oblast held in the town of Dolgoprudny on April 16.

In 2007 the trade between Belarus and the Moscow oblast approached \\$2 billion, 42.1% up on 2006. In January-February 2008 the trade totalled USD 364.1 million (53.6% up).

Andrei Kobyakov remarked, Belarus’ trade with the Moscow oblast is comparable to Belarus’ trade with some neighbouring countries. The cooperation with the Moscow oblast goes beyond trade. Efforts are being exercised to set up trade and service centres for Belarusian machines. Andrei Kobyakov said, thanks to the establishment of an MTZ dealership in the Ramenskoye region of the Moscow oblast in late 2007 in January-February 2008 the export of tractors to the oblast increased 265 times.

“Trade and economic cooperation is one of the pillars in relations with Russia while the Moscow oblast is one of Belarus’ main trade partners in Russia,” stressed Andrei Kobyakov.