Minsk will host the 14th meeting of the intergovernmental Belarusian-Moldovan commission for trade and economic cooperation on 29-30 November. The parties are set to sign a number of bilateral documents designed to give additional impetus to the development of cooperation in various areas, BelTA learnt from the Economy Ministry of Moldova.

In particular, the Industry Ministry of Belarus and the Economy Ministry of Moldova will sign the agreement on the joint project to upgrade the city electric transport. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Belarus and the Environment Ministry of Moldova are planning to seal a cooperation plan for 2013-2014. A number of documents on cooperation will be signed at the level of local authorities of Belarus and Moldova. One of them is a cooperation program for 2013-2014 between the Moldovan town of Balti and Belarusian Polotsk, etc.

An official Moldovan delegation will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister, Economy Minister Valeriu Lazar, who is the co-chairman of the intergovernmental Belarusian-Moldovan commission for trade and economic cooperation

The two parties are set to examine the current status and development prospects of Belarusian-Moldovan economic relations in industry, agriculture, construction, transport, medicine, regional cooperation and other areas.

According to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Moldova Vyacheslav Osipenko, the two countries that marked the 20th anniversary of the diplomatic relations on 19 November have mutually beneficial trade and economic ties.

Last year the trade between Belarus and Moldova made up almost a third of a billion U.S. dollars. In January-September 2012, the trade amounted to $250.9 million, an increase of 10.8% as against the same period 2011. In January-September 2012, the Belarusian export to Moldova hit the mark of $192.7 million, up 9.9% from the same period a year earlier. Moldova exports to Belarus went up 13.9% to $58.2 million. In January-September Belarus had a $134.5 million surplus in trade with Moldova, an increase of 8.2% compared to the same period 2011.

According to the Ambassador, the prospects for increasing trade and economic interaction are associated primarily with the transition from simple trade to production-cooperative interaction. In this connection the joint facilities to assemble tractors and trolleybuses created in Moldova are seen as priority areas for cooperation. It is planned that tractors and trolleybuses assembled in Chisinau will be sold domestically and to third countries.

The range of goods the two countries trade in is quite extensive. Belarus’ major exports are tractors, trolleybuses, buses, trucks, road construction machinery, spare parts to them. A joint facility to assemble trolleybuses was launched in July this year as part of the industrial and technological cooperation between Belkommunmash and the Electric Transport Directorate of Chisinau. By the end of the year it will assemble 10 trolleybuses. In 2013, the facility is expected to reach its full capacity and produce approximately 50 to 60 trolleybuses. The project will help Chisinau and Balti to upgrade their electric transport fleets, and promote these products to the markets of third countries in the future. Bucharest City Hall has already expressed interest in the Belarusian trolleybuses assembled in Moldova. The Belarusian home appliances, timber, fertilizers, medicines, clothing, furniture, and ceramics are widely represented on the Moldavian market. Products of such brands as Savushkin Product, Santa Bremor, Keramin, Gefest, Atlant, Milavitsa are highly popular with Moldovan consumers.

Belarus has traditionally imported Moldovan farm produce, wine and a number of industrial products. Moldova also supplies Belarus with fresh and canned fruits and vegetables, wine and brandy, corn, sunflower oil, gypsum, and other products.


 

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