Belarus and Astrakhan Oblast have wide opportunities to intensify cooperation, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with Astrakhan Oblast Governor Alexander Zhilkin.
        “We should be more active in exploring the potential of the Customs Union and the Single Economic Space,” the head of state is confident. “I believe that market participants of our countries still have a big untapped potential for cooperation,” he added.
         According to the President, direct links with Russian regions contribute to successful economic cooperation between the two countries.
         According to Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus views Astrakhan Oblast as a reliable and promising partner. Over the last three years the trade between Belarus and Astrakhan Oblast has tripled. At the same time the President emphasized that Belarus and this Russian region still have much bigger prospects for building up mutual trade.
        The President of Belarus noted that “simple commodity relations are geared to yesterday.” “Today in order to be able to face the future with confidence we should take our bilateral cooperation onto a qualitatively new level and embark on the implementation of mutually beneficial projects,” the President said.