Belarus’ First Deputy Prime Minister, Vasily Matyushevsky, encourages Japanese businesses to expand their investment activity in Belarus. This was announced during a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus (concurrent), H.E. Mr. Chikahito Harada
Minsk hosted a joint Belarusian-Japanese business meeting, involving the heads of around 20 leading Japanese companies.
The First Deputy Prime Minister noted that Japanese businesses can confidently enter the Belarusian market with new ideas, both in the sphere of trade and in the area of innovations and technology, whilst also expanding their investment activity in Belarus. It primarily refers to the areas of high technology, industry, agriculture and logistics. Moreover, Mr. Matyushevsky confirmed Belarus’ aspiration to attract Japanese companies to invest in the modernisation of Belarusian enterprises.
Both sides discussed issues of bilateral trade and economic collaboration whilst considering the opportunities to strengthen their interaction in the sphere of credit and investment. The First Deputy Prime Minister noted that the two countries still have a great deal of untapped potential as far as co-operation in business goes.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of large companies as Hitachi Construction Machinery, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Panasonic, Mitsubishi Motors, Itochu and others.
From the point of view of assets on the Belarusian market, Japanese companies currently lag slightly behind a range of Western and Chinese firms. “We are keen for them to become more involved, particularly in the area of automobile manufacturing,” commented Mr. Sergei Rakhmanov, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Japan.
By Oleg Voropaev