Tambov Oblast governor outlines key avenues of cooperation with Belarus

Tambov Oblast is one of the leaders among Russian regions in terms of trade growth with Belarus. According to the governor, imports from Belarus doubled in 2022, while exports grew by 63%. “I think we can do even better,” he said.

“We are primarily interested in buying Belarusian agricultural products, farm machinery, which is of high quality, and we may open some assembly factories. Today we have discussed this, we have suitable sites, and we will work on it. Of course, we are interested in buses, the kind that is already running in Tambov. There were large deliveries, and we want to resume them,” the governor said.

“Utility vehicles are a relevant issue for any city in Russia, and we are willing to consider buying machinery on Belarus-made chassis and in general Belarusian vehicles that can be used in cities (they are mobile, compact and are overall very good),” the governor continued.

“Patriotic education of young people is another important area of activity. Every year on 22 June, our children visit the Brest Fortress. This year 55 people will go there. And I think that we need to build up contacts in this field, because in the modern world our so-called friends distort our common history, destroy monuments to our brave soldiers, our Soviet army. Of course, we need to remember our common heroes, and there is a large field of activity in this direction,” Maxim Yegorov is sure.

He also touched upon cooperation in tourism. “You have something to show, so do we, and there are things that we can learn from you. A good example is agro-eco-tourism, which is very developed in Belarus, and we want to use your best practices in Tambov Oblast,” the governor added.