Potential that We Have

It is often hard to measure the significance of the things that happen around us. What is the major criterion to label the events that we observe every day? Life, of course. The country is developing fast if it has a stable economy, I have no doubts. And if this country has serious economic achievements, we have to write about them, so we are doing our best. “It took 11 railroad cars to transport the giant vehicle to a client of Belarusian Automobile Plant, located in Zhodino, near Minsk. The size of the truck that is capable of carrying 320 tonnes of ore is quite impressive: it is easier to describe it as a two-storey house than use standard terms applied to vehicles,” begins one of the articles in the magazine you are holding in your hands. The article “Factory of Giants Picks up Steam” dwells on the high scientific and production potential of Belarusian automakers. The new truck with a capacity of 320 tonnes is a newsworthy happening for BelAZ, one of the world leaders in production of mine dump trucks. BelAZ accounts for about 30% of the world output of large trucks for open-cut mining, which means every third truck of the kind in the world is “Made in Belarus”. The smallest BelAZ vehicle is capable of carrying 30 tonnes. There are trucks with a capacity of 55 tonnes, 90 tonnes, 130 tonnes and 220 tonnes. Some 120,000 BelAZ giants are working is more than 50 countries of the world. But it is the 320-tonne model that has opened the door to the exclusive club of automotive producers.

The Belarusian industrial segment has many foreign partners that may attest to the sustainable development of this country. Another solid argument is the breakthrough of Belarusian products, especially engineering products, to the yet unexplored market of Latin America. Venezuelan consumers of potassium fertilizers have chosen the Belarusian exporter as one of the key suppliers of potassium chloride. The seaports of Belarus’ neighbors — Lithuania and Latvia — are competing for having more Belarusian cargoes to transship. Trade between Belarus and China may reach $1 billion this year. These are just a few facts that you will find in this magazine, but all of them can tell so much. Besides, they shed light on general economic tendencies and priorities of Belarus’ economic efforts, which reach the top interstate level.

The visit of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev and his talks with Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko gave an impetus to bilateral economic cooperation. The heads of state addressed plans for the near future and the long-term outlook, which will make possible a number of joint projects.
The historians that will study the progress of relations between Belarus and South Africa will certainly call 2006 the “crucial point”, our correspondent concludes in the article “All-Round Collaboration”. The conclusion is based on the unprecedented intensity of political contacts. A representative delegation of parliamentarians of South Africa led by the speaker of the South African National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, paid a visit to Belarus, the first official visit of this level. In August, Belarus’ foreign minister paid a visit to Pretoria, and in September the bilateral relations reached the top level: President Lukashenko negotiated with his South African counterpart Thabo Mbeki in Havana. Political contacts seem as intensive as never before, but it is economic cooperation that should become the basis for strong bilateral relations. Relevant statements have already been made at the top level, and a keen interest in cooperation with Belarus is being displayed. There is just one more step to make — to use the potential that we have.

Viktor Kharkov
Editor of “Беларусь.Belarus”