Belarus and Italy developing roadmap for economic co-operation

Belarus and Italy developing roadmap for economic co-operation

“The $2bn trade we have with Italy today can be increased two or three times. There is an agreement that we will work out a roadmap for the governments of the two countries to address the current issues,” noted Belarus’ Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov as he met the President of the Lombardy Region, Roberto Maroni.

There are plans to set up the Belarus-Italy Business Co-operation Council in order to intensify relations between the two states. The Belarusian-Italian trade-economic intergovernmental commission is expected to hold its meeting in January 2016. A delegation of Italian businessmen is set to pay a visit to Belarus in the second half of 2016.

According to Mr. Kobyakov, Belarus views Lombardy as one of its main trading partners in Italy. In 2014, Belarusian exports to Lombardy totalled 13.2m Euros (14.3 percent up on 2013). Belarusian imports made up 128.4m Euros (80.1 percent as against 2013). Our main exports included fabrics, leather, chemical products, as well as metals, steel products and forest products. Belarus imported Lombardy’s machinery and equipment, clothes and textile goods, synthetic yarn, chemical substances, construction materials and metal products.