OREANDA-NEWS. April 1, 2009. Belarus and Russia should establish access to each other’s markets as fast as possible, said President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko as he met with Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Governor Valery Shantsev on March 31.

“Supporting the competitive ability of the economies of Belarus and Russia is the key task in the crisis conditions. Existing problems should be addressed as fast as possible,” emphasised the President. “If our economy steps away from manufacturing cooperation with Russia, it would be difficult to restore it later”.

The head of state underscored that it is necessary to create nationwide access to markets of the Union State, especially during the crisis. In his opinion, it is necessary to work out common terms for participation in government purchases and unified access to bank loans.

Alexander Lukashenko believes that cooperation between Belarus and the Nizhny Novgorod oblast can become an example of well-established interregional contacts. “We should focus attention on stepping up our cooperation and coming out of the hard situation stronger than before,” remarked the President. He added that business of many companies both in Belarus and the Nizhny Novgorod oblast is reliant on manufacturing cooperation.