In addition to supplying its traditional markets, the country is ever developing its trade, investment and sci-tech partnership more distantly — in China, India, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Myanmar and elsewhere. There, our domestic producers compete with global corporations but the Government and businesses are working together seamlessly to achieve ambitious goals. Accordingly, they are optimistic, as demonstrated at the Minsk International Forum for the Business Community, devoted to the 60th anniversary of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce.
“The Belarusian Government sees potential for tripling its exports to new and non-traditional markets next year,” noted the Prime Minister, Mikhail Myasnikovich, opening the forum. “We can grow our export revenue by at least a billion US dollars,” he emphasised. The partnership work of our Chambers of Commerce, business matchmaking sessions, joint forums and conferences is vital, since Belarusian goods need promotion. Via industrial co-operation and in creating joint ventures, we can share our technologies and expertise. “The EU and the Common Economic Space have enormous potential for partnership on principles of free trade, non-discrimination and mutual respect,” noted the PM.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Makey, asserted that the Belarusian Foreign Ministry will provide the county’s Chamber of Commerce with any and all support to aid the development of foreign economic relations. Belarus’ foreign institutions have already begun such work although the Russian sector requires less help, since business relations are already long established between our Chambers of Commerce and Industry, currently headed by Mikhail Myatlikov and Sergey Katyrin.
“Belarus has a good geographical position and developed infrastructure,” noted Dirk Vantyghem, the Director for International Co-operation at the Association of Chambers of Commerce of European Countries: Eurochamber. “Your business climate improves each year, which shows that you have a great future.”
