Ambassador praises Belarus-Russia's Leningrad Oblast trade

According to the ambassador, Leningrad Oblast is among the leading Russian regions in terms of trade with Belarus. “Last year we slightly fell short of $1 billion. This year, given a 10% increase in Q1 2024 and the fact that we keep the momentum, we will reach $1 billion in mutual trade for the first time,” he said.

“The figures will actually double over the past three years, which makes an impressive achievement,” Dmitry Krutoi emphasized.

He went on saying that last year was the most active in terms of contacts with Leningrad Oblast. According to Dmitry Krutoi, Aleksandr Drozdenko is again expected to visit Belarus this summer, with the prorgam including his participation in the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia.

“The number of entities that are engaged in dealer relations with manufacturers of Belarusian products is on the rise. This speeds up direct deliveries of products, given the fact that trade is developing in a fairly balanced way,” the ambassador said.

Speaking about the supplies of Belarusian machinery, Dmitry Krutoi said that apart from agricultural machinery, Belarus is ready to supply road, utilities and firefighting equipment, passenger transport, and also boiler equipment. Belarus is also ready to sign a comprehensive program to participate in the gas supply plan of Leningrad Oblast.

The ambassador thanked the governor for the opportunity for Belarusians to participate in the construction of a number of industrial facilities in Leningrad Oblast, including port infrastructure. According to him, Belarusian specialists gain the necessary experience, which can be used in other regions of the Russian Federation.

The parties also discussed Belarus' participation in the implementation of the regional program Clean Water, cooperation in IT and humanitarian affairs.