Belarus, Russia’s Ryazan Region are to step up co-operation

Belarus and Ryazan Region can significantly boost co-operation — as stated by President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko at his meeting with Ryazan Region Governor Pavel Malkov

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Greeting the governor, the Belarusian leader stated that Minsk is always happy to welcome Russian guests, ‘although technically they are not even considered as such because Russia and Ryazan Region, in particular, are full of our closest, fraternal people’.

“I want you to be sure that everything your delegation agrees to with Belarusians — be it in industry, agriculture, machine tool manufacturing or commercial vehicles — we will fulfil [all of our obligations] on time. We fulfil our obligations, always have, always will,” the President stated.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that Belarus and Ryazan Region are linked by their shared historical past. During the Great Patriotic War, thousands of natives of Ryazan Region fought on Belarusian soil, including nearly two hundred people who defended the Brest Fortress. Many Belarusians graduated from the renowned Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School and now serve in the Belarusian Armed Forces.
However, according to the Belarusian leader, the economy is the foundation of co-operation. Trade turnover between Belarus and Ryazan Region has been growing steadily over the last five years and reached almost $280m last year. In this respect, Aleksandr Lukashenko stated,

“Over the last five years, we have doubled our trade turnover, as the economy has always been the foundation of our lives. We will soon reach $300m in trade turnover. However, while examining areas of co-operation with you, I realised that we can significantly boost our trade by deepening these areas alone.”

The President of Belarus invited the Russian delegation to visit all kinds of enterprises in the country, but advised to focus on machine tool manufacturing, “Because without machine tools, there are no cars, or anything else for that matter. We have the skills to make certain things, including milling, grinding and turning machines, as well as a wide range of other equipment for machine tools and beyond. Come and see for yourselves that we know what we are doing, and take note of what we will need to supply you with.”
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus and Ryazan Region share similar natural conditions and face largely similar challenges, “You are doing a lot in terms of land reclamation, and I know you have big plans for it. Just like us, you are developing peat deposits. We have not lost these skills since Soviet times. Please, if you need us to provide training for your people, offer advice, lend a hand or work together, we are always ready.”

Ryazan, Russia  

The Belarusian leader emphasised that Belarus is ready for co-operation with Ryazan in construction, food supplies, clothing and footwear, “I would like to underscore this one more time: if you agree on something with our Belarusian ministers or enterprise leaders, we will take it under our control and ensure everything gets done.”
Mr. Malkov thanked the Head of State for the warm welcome in Belarus and the opportunity to meet, stressing that it was valuable for him to discuss further interaction and co-operation personally with the President. He added that Russia–Belarus co-operation is getting stronger, “Integration is strengthening, and our President Vladimir Putin constantly emphasises the importance of this process. In general, new challenges and the difficult geopolitical situation bring us closer together, opening up new opportunities and new perspectives for co-operation.”
The Governor also confirmed the readiness of Ryazan Region to comprehensively develop co-operation with Belarus, “We see that these intentions are absolutely mutual. Belarus is our long-term strategic partner. Ryazan Region trades with about 100 countries around the world at present, and Belarus accounts for a fifth of our foreign trade turnover (being first in exports, and third in imports).”
Mr. Malkov drew attention to the growth of bilateral trade, which has been observed in recent years, and the increasing number of joint projects. The Russian region buys furniture, industrial and transport equipment, paper, and food from Belarus.

RUSSIAN GOVERNOR: BELARUSIAN FOOD SYNONYMOUS WITH QUALITY 

The West’s sanctions pressure on the Union State has significantly intensified the policy of import substitution — as noted later by the Ryazan Region Governor, Pavel Malkov, in his talk with journalists.
Answering a question about strengthening co-operation in the face of sanctions pressure on the Union State, Mr. Malkov said that the Belarusian leader guides to view sanctions as a time of opportunity. “Sanctions are actually a good thing, because they have greatly advanced us in a number of areas. It is even hardly possible to find a sphere where we have not become more active. A large number of investment projects in Ryazan and Ryazan Region were born precisely because of sanctions and import substitution policy. We are liaising [with Belarus] in all areas, and these include agriculture and every sphere of industry,” he noted.
Mr. Malkov stressed that Belarus and the Russian region have a plan for developing co-operation in each specific area, which is represented in one way or another in Ryazan Region. “Ryazan Region has a diversified economy. Starting from building materials and machine tools, and ending with pharmaceuticals, medical products, and ferrous metal products, we see a huge potential for co-operation. Of course, Belarus has a wider range [of directions] for interaction. We look at what Belarus is primarily interested in for joint projects and offer our competencies,” he explained.
Mr. Malkov praised Belarus’ huge competencies in the field of agriculture and food production. “I told Aleksandr Grigorievich [Lukashenko] today that, when it comes to food products, Belarusian is synonymous with quality. In Ryazan Region, we are also focusing now on the development of agriculture, and a historical record was set last year in literally all areas: cereals, oilseeds, egg and dairy production. We have prospects for co-operation here,” he said.
The Russian Governor also touched upon the implementation of a project with Mogilevliftmash to launch a joint elevator production in Ryazan Region.

Minsk ratifies CIS agreement on exchanging data between enforcement agencies

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko signed the Law On Ratifying the Agreement on Co-operation for Information Exchange in the Enforcement of Judicial Decisions, Acts of Authorised Authorities and Officials
This international document establishes the procedure for exchanging information between enforcement authorities of the CIS member states, as well as its scope. This includes enforcement proceedings, financial status and employment of debtors, location of their property, and other details.
This agreement aims to strengthen co-operation and improve the efficiency of enforcement. 

Humanitarian assistance for Vietnam

Belarus’ President Aleksandr Lukashenko has made a decision to provide humanitarian assistance to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
The decision follows Hanoi’s request for assistance after a series of devastating natural disasters struck Vietnam in 2025, causing significant loss of life and destruction.
The Republic of Belarus will send aid to the fraternal Vietnamese people, guided by the principle of humanism and the strategic partnership relations established between the two countries.
The Head of State has instructed the Emergencies Ministry to co-ordinate the effort. 

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by