OREANDA-NEWS. September 16, 2010. Belarus plans to restore the pre-crisis level of trade with Leningrad Oblast by the end of the year, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky told a session of the joint commission for developing cooperation between Belarus and Leningrad Oblast in Saint Petersburg.

The Belarusian head of government believes that it is feasible and preconditions are good. For instance, in January-July 2010 Belarus-Leningrad Oblast trade went up 20%. There is a potential for further growth, Sergei Sidorsky is convinced.

Agribusiness is one of the key areas of cooperation between Belarus and Leningrad Oblast. Belarus is ready to offer new projects for the delivery of agricultural machines to Russian partners. “We offer an entire aggregated chain of machines and mechanisms. Our prices and quality will be superior,” said the Prime Minister. According to Sergei Sidorsky, sharing the best large-scale production practices is another important sphere in agricultural cooperation.

According to the Prime Minister, Belarus is ready to offer new housing construction projects to Leningrad Oblast. The prices that Belarusian companies offer are virtually twice as low as those of Leningrad companies – RUB31,000-35,000 per square meter. In addition, there are good prospects for cooperation in house building, Sergei Sidorsky is convinced. In particular, Belarus is ready to offer its technologies in this area to Russian colleagues. Belarus also offers cooperation in supplies of construction materials to Leningrad Oblast.

In turn, Leningrad Oblast Governor Valery Serdyukov remarked that the Russian region is primarily interested in Belarusian tillage mechanisms. Power engineering is a priority avenue of cooperation, too. Next year the construction of a new pumped storage unit will begin in Leningrad Oblast. Russian specialists are ready to consider the cooperation with Belarusian colleagues in the project. In addition, Leningrad Oblast is interested in setting up modern wholesale centers together with Belarus. “The matter is very important and there are opportunities for it. Not one but several such centers we are talking about,” said Valery Serdyukov.

When asked by journalists, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky said that these will be large trade and wholesale centers. They will be located in different parts of Leningrad Oblast – north, south, east.

In turn, Governor of Leningrad Oblast Valery Serdiukov added that Leningrad Oblast is ready to assist not only in the establishment of such structures but also in the creation of the Belarusian trade and logistics center and a residential district “Belarusian quarter”.

Speaking about the development of partnership between Leningrad Oblast and Belarus, Valery Serdyukov added that partnership is developing across the board – from small business to agriculture. At the same time there are reserves for stepping up the cooperation in some industries.

The interest of the Leningrad region in expanding economic cooperation with Belarus has confirmed Vice-Governor, Chairman of the Committee for Economic Development and Investment Activity of Leningrad Oblast Grigory Dvas.

“For us, cooperation with Belarus is not only an old tradition but a key factor of economic and humanitarian development,” the Vice-Governor stressed. In his words, it is hard to imagine the achievements of the Leningrad Oblast agriculture without Belarusian industrial engineers and agrarians who have been supplying the oblast with up-to-date equipment, new varieties of vegetables and potato. Belarusian road equipment has been also highly praised in Leningrad Oblast. Apart from industrial cooperation, the two sides have been steadily developing humanitarian relations, exchanging youth delegations, conducting joint sports events.

As for the cooperation prospects, Grigory Dvas stated that partnership in the agricultural industry is among top priorities. This partnership has already become multidimensional. Leningrad Oblast has been recently supplying Belarus with breeding stock, holding animal care seminars for Belarusian specialists. Belarus has been exporting planting stock to Leningrad Oblast.

According to the Vice-Governor, there are good prospects to export the Belarusian agricultural equipment to Leningrad Oblast. “There are opportunities for further expansion and advancement of the Belarusian equipment including by means of the present leasing schemes,” he said.

Leningrad Oblast is also interested in purchasing Belarusian equipment for road construction and mineral deposit development.

For its part, Belarus is interested in supplying peat production machines to Leningrad Oblast, First Deputy Energy Minister of Belarus Eduard Tovpenets said at a session of the Belarus-Leningrad Oblast cooperation commission.

According to Eduard Tovpenets, Belarusian specialists have amassed plenty of experience and technologies in this area and are willing to share them with specialists from Leningrad Oblast. Over the last five years, Belarus has accomplished several projects to upgrade peat processing facilities. Belarus can set up such facilities in Leningrad Oblast.

Besides, Belarus is interested in taking part in projects to build power transmission lines in Leningrad Oblast on various terms. The First Deputy Energy Minister asked the Leningrad Oblast Governor to provide assistance in implementing such projects not only in Leningrad Oblast, but also in other regions of Russia.

Also Belarus, Leningrad Oblast mull over joint engineering ventures, Belarus’ Deputy Industry Ministry Vitaly Prima said.

In particular, the sides are in the search of partners to establish a joint venture on manufacturing the Gomselmash fodder harvesting machinery in Leningrad Oblast. “We are ready to establish other engineering companies if such a need arises,” Vitaly Prima said.

In his words, the sides are mulling over another promising project dealing with water supply and drainage. “The Russian side has expressed their interest in purchasing Belarusian equipment, and our counterparts are ready to consider the establishment of an assembly venture,” he added.

According to Vice-Governor George Dvas, another important trend – the scientific and technical cooperation. Physicists of Belarus and Leningrad Oblast have been jointly studying the impact of laser radiation on living organisms. This research can open new opportunities for medicine and labor protection.

Leningrad Oblast is also interested in Belarusian innovations in informatization and telecommunications.

Also Leningrad Oblast suggests that Belarus should use the former’s ports for transporting oil and oil products. The relevant statement was made by Grigory Dvas, Vice Governor, Chairman of the Leningrad Oblast Economic Development and Investments Committee.

The Vice Governor remarked that freight traffic via Leningrad Oblast ports has risen considerably over the last few years. The construction of a modern container terminal is in progress in one of the ports. The terminal’s capacity is supposed to reach 3 million TEUs per annum. This is why Leningrad Oblast offers its oil and oil products transit capacity to Belarus. In addition, Leningrad Oblast is ready to transport Belarusian food. “We are ready to transport various products via our port complexes,” said Grigory Dvas.

The Vice Governor believes that it will provide more opportunities for cooperation between oil refineries in Belarus and Leningrad Oblast. “We can establish tight technological partnership between oil processing companies of the two sides,” he concluded.

In turn, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky told media that it is a very interesting proposal for the Belarusian industry. Belarusian exporters use ports of neighboring countries to transship 30-50 million tonnes of cargoes. Leningrad Oblast’s proposal looks very attractive and promising for them.

In 2009, the trade between Belarus and Leningrad Oblast totaled USD251 million, down 41.9% over 2008. In January-July this year, the trade rose by about 20% to USD 157.2 million, exports were up 2.2 times to USD 71.1 million, imports were down by 11.5% to USD 86.1 million. This year Belarus’ major export items are fresh and chilled beef, sugar, twisted wire, electrical transformers, etc. Leningrad Oblast supplies Belarus with detergents, fertilizers, cement, uncoated paper and board, etc.

Belarus and Russia are to sign a new agreement on mutual agricultural deliveries by the end of the year, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky told media in St Petersburg.

In his words, the Agriculture and Food Ministries of the two countries have been mulling over the prospects of the deliveries of meat and dairy products. The two ministries are expected to sign a document which will define how the supplies of agricultural products will be provided.

“The preparation of documents on the Customs Union single economic space nears completion. One of the major issues is the work on agricultural markets,” Sergei Sidorsky said. According to the Prime Minister, the agreement on the deliveries of the agricultural make will be signed by 1 January 2011.

“We are trying to provide favorable conditions for agricultural producers on both the markets. The document should help solve all disputable problems,” he added. According to Sergei Sidorsky, Belarus and Russia has already made all decisions pertaining to sanitary and quarantine control. The documents have removed barriers in the delivery of products to the Customs Union. “We have made considerable progress here,” the Prime Minister considers.