Belarus-Kazakhstan intergovernmental commission plans to convene in Brest

The Belarus-Kazakhstan intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation plans to convene for a meeting in Brest, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belarus Askar Beisenbayev told journalists on 26 March, BelTA has learned.

“The intergovernmental commission is set to meet this year. Initially, the meeting was to be held in Brest, but due to the pandemic many events have been moved online. Web-based meetings are not the same as face-to-face meetings. We hope that the intergovernmental commission will be able to convene offline. People miss face-to-face meeting that allow solving many issues faster,” the ambassador said.

Brest Oblast Governor Yuri Shuleiko and Ambassador Askar Beisenbayev met in Brest on 26 March to discuss the bilateral cooperation. In 2020, Belarus-Kazakhstan trade amounted to $130.8 million, or 87.3% as against 2019, Brest Oblast posted a trade surplus. There are nine enterprises with Kazakhstan's investments in the Belarusian region. Brest Oblast signed cooperation agreements with East Kazakhstan Oblast and Karaganda Oblast.

Yuri Shuleiko described the trade and economic relations with Kazakhstan, Belarus' partner in the EAEU, as good. There is still untapped potential and room for growth, he stressed. The parties discussed supplies of products with added value, primarily woodworking and food products, and considered new cooperation areas.

“Brest Oblast boasts great capacities. Kazakhstan actively cooperates with Belarus in trade, and Brest Oblast plays an important role in this cooperation. I believe that interregional ties are very important and we need to step up efforts to strengthen them. Great conditions have been created at the national level. We should facilitate close cooperation between our businesses and regions, because this gives an impetus to cooperation between the two countries,” Ambassador Askar Beisenbayev said.