Ambitious vigorous actions and breakthrough projects are needed in the cooperation between Belarus and Mordovia, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Head of the Republic of Mordovia of the Russian Federation Artem Zdunov in Minsk on 20 October, BelTA has learned.
The head of state noted that this meeting, already his second with the leader of the Russian region, provides an opportunity to outline new plans and framework for bilateral cooperation, especially since the joint work is already well-established and there are prospects for further interaction. “In the economy, we need ambitious, vigorous actions and, of course, worthy breakthrough projects,” the president said. According to him, the trade between Belarus and Mordovia in 2024 amounted to slightly more than $130 million, and “this is far from the limit, given the industrial base” of both sides.
The president specifically highlighted key areas of cooperation requiring particular attention. First and foremost is the development of industrial cooperation. “This is very, very important for us, both for Russia and Belarus, especially after the inexplicable flight of well-known investors from us,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
On the Belarusian side, the head of state proposed maximizing the potential of the joint projects that were already implemented in the fields of railcar manufacturing, microelectronics, and elevator production. For example, there is demand in Belarus for Mordovia's cable and wire products. One example of effective joint work is the production of insulation materials by Mordovia's Leader-Compound company from raw materials supplied by Belarus' Naftan. The president also highlighted the strong production links between other enterprises of the country and the Russian region.
The film might be a success. The topics of John F. Kennedy assassination and Lee Harvey Oswald’s role in it remain relevant and continue to spark interest in the USA even today. “This issue was actively raised by the current U.S. President Donald Trump. If we make this film at the right time, it will be appropriate and relevant,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
“We are eager and open for cooperation with the very kind, wonderful people who live in the beautiful land of Mordovia,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
In turn, Artem Zdunov thanked [his hosts] for the warm welcome and the opportunity, two years after reaching the previous agreements, to review interim results and set new tasks. “We came prepared. To date, 60 enterprises from Mordovia are operating in the Republic of Belarus, implementing joint projects. 20 are present here [as part of the delegation]. These are the owners and managers of enterprises who make decisions," he said. “We see some growth, but we are still viewing it very cautiously because the potential is much higher. My colleagues understand that we need to push this issue further.”
From January to August of this year, the trade amounted to approximately $64 million. Belarus’ major exports were ethylene polymers, machinery and appliances for lifting, moving, loading, or unloading, and meat and edible poultry offal. Imports were primarily insulated wires, cables, and aluminum and copper wire.
The president specifically highlighted key areas of cooperation requiring particular attention. First and foremost is the development of industrial cooperation. “This is very, very important for us, both for Russia and Belarus, especially after the inexplicable flight of well-known investors from us,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
On the Belarusian side, the head of state proposed maximizing the potential of the joint projects that were already implemented in the fields of railcar manufacturing, microelectronics, and elevator production. For example, there is demand in Belarus for Mordovia's cable and wire products. One example of effective joint work is the production of insulation materials by Mordovia's Leader-Compound company from raw materials supplied by Belarus' Naftan. The president also highlighted the strong production links between other enterprises of the country and the Russian region.
"Mordovia is one of the leading regions in Russia in terms of the share of innovative products in its industrial output. We are also proud of our scientific potential and strive to maximize the application of our R&D in manufacturing. We talk about this a great deal and are outlining specific plans in terms of innovation. Therefore, let's establish cooperation between relevant institutions in the field of information technology, the training of IT specialists, and in joint work on software products and artificial intelligence (it's trendy now). We will share our experience,” the president said.
Secondly, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized the importance of cooperation regarding the supply of agricultural machinery. “Mordovia and Belarus have a great deal in common in the agricultural sector. Like us, you are almost entirely self-sufficient and are focused on supplying beyond your region, including other countries. "I am confident that Belarusian agricultural machinery can provide significant support for further development of Mordovia's agricultural sector,” the head of state noted. The president said that the current situation in the Russian market, the main market for Belarus, is generally challenging. "We see problems in this market. We understand that they cannot be solved unilaterally. We also need to contribute and, as the saying goes, put our shoulders to the wheel,” the Belarusian leader said.
The head of state indicated Belarus' readiness to offer Mordovia “interesting instruments” for acquisition and operation of farm machinery. "We have the capability to meet Mordovia's needs across almost the entire line of agricultural machinery, including through the use of flexible financing mechanisms," he said.
The discussion also touched upon expanding opportunities for training local young agricultural specialists to work with Belarusian agricultural machinery. Several universities in the region have already established excellent facilities to enable graduates to learn more about domestic equipment; samples of the machinery are housed in specialized classrooms, which enhances the quality of the educational process with an emphasis on practical training. Given the constant increase in the complexity of agricultural machinery, Belarus, according to the president, is prepared to make efforts to train not only future machine operators in Mordovia but also engineers who will subsequently scale up these skills.
The parties also touched on another, third area of cooperation, which is pharmaceutics. The president noted the possibility of establishing collaboration between Belarusian State Medical University and Mordovian State University regarding the training and advanced training of specialists. This is especially relevant given the opening of the Federal Center for Biotechnology and Medicine Development in Saransk early this year.
The Belarusian side also suggested organizing the production of drugs from the portfolio of the Promomed group of companies based in Saransk at the Belmedpreparaty production facilities. “I believe that here we can achieve certain results, especially since you are familiar with our enterprises and our products,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Speaking about the development of humanitarian cooperation with this Russian region, the head of state suggested focusing on joint work in film production. “You know how to do it. We would be very interested in exchanging experience and personnel assistance. We are now focusing heavily on cinematography. Of all the arts, the cinema is the most important as the classic used to say,” the Belarusian leader said.
The president mentioned that there is an idea to make a multi-part film about Lee Harvey Oswald. In the 1960s, the American came to the Soviet Union and lived in Minsk for almost two and a half years, working as a lathe operator at the Lenin Minsk Radio Works.“We would be very interested in this and could offer our services, provide a venue, and undertake the search for funding for this, I am sure, very interesting film,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.
The head of state indicated Belarus' readiness to offer Mordovia “interesting instruments” for acquisition and operation of farm machinery. "We have the capability to meet Mordovia's needs across almost the entire line of agricultural machinery, including through the use of flexible financing mechanisms," he said.
The discussion also touched upon expanding opportunities for training local young agricultural specialists to work with Belarusian agricultural machinery. Several universities in the region have already established excellent facilities to enable graduates to learn more about domestic equipment; samples of the machinery are housed in specialized classrooms, which enhances the quality of the educational process with an emphasis on practical training. Given the constant increase in the complexity of agricultural machinery, Belarus, according to the president, is prepared to make efforts to train not only future machine operators in Mordovia but also engineers who will subsequently scale up these skills.
The parties also touched on another, third area of cooperation, which is pharmaceutics. The president noted the possibility of establishing collaboration between Belarusian State Medical University and Mordovian State University regarding the training and advanced training of specialists. This is especially relevant given the opening of the Federal Center for Biotechnology and Medicine Development in Saransk early this year.
The Belarusian side also suggested organizing the production of drugs from the portfolio of the Promomed group of companies based in Saransk at the Belmedpreparaty production facilities. “I believe that here we can achieve certain results, especially since you are familiar with our enterprises and our products,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Speaking about the development of humanitarian cooperation with this Russian region, the head of state suggested focusing on joint work in film production. “You know how to do it. We would be very interested in exchanging experience and personnel assistance. We are now focusing heavily on cinematography. Of all the arts, the cinema is the most important as the classic used to say,” the Belarusian leader said.
The president mentioned that there is an idea to make a multi-part film about Lee Harvey Oswald. In the 1960s, the American came to the Soviet Union and lived in Minsk for almost two and a half years, working as a lathe operator at the Lenin Minsk Radio Works.“We would be very interested in this and could offer our services, provide a venue, and undertake the search for funding for this, I am sure, very interesting film,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.
The film might be a success. The topics of John F. Kennedy assassination and Lee Harvey Oswald’s role in it remain relevant and continue to spark interest in the USA even today. “This issue was actively raised by the current U.S. President Donald Trump. If we make this film at the right time, it will be appropriate and relevant,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
The president did not rule out that filmmakers from both sides might suggest other topics for joint films. “In the Belarusian-Russian dimension, we can find many common topics from history that would be very useful for us as well,” the head of state believes.
“We are eager and open for cooperation with the very kind, wonderful people who live in the beautiful land of Mordovia,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
In turn, Artem Zdunov thanked [his hosts] for the warm welcome and the opportunity, two years after reaching the previous agreements, to review interim results and set new tasks. “We came prepared. To date, 60 enterprises from Mordovia are operating in the Republic of Belarus, implementing joint projects. 20 are present here [as part of the delegation]. These are the owners and managers of enterprises who make decisions," he said. “We see some growth, but we are still viewing it very cautiously because the potential is much higher. My colleagues understand that we need to push this issue further.”
Among the key priorities for developing cooperation with Belarus, the head of Mordovia cited cooperation, joint sales on foreign markets and maintenance. “Five enterprises from Mordovia already have dealer centers on the territory of Belarus. This is a matter of trust and fast service. Primarily, this involves the cable industry, semiconductors, and the lighting industry,” he said.
Artem Zdunov also noted that the delegation's visit coincided with the Week of Parental Love, which is running in Belarus. In this regard, he highlighted the importance of raising the younger generation in the spirit of traditional values. "For us, these are fundamental issues now. Everything we repair, build, and do is for future generations. This is simply about the physical existence of our future generation, about the birth rate and demography. And the second issue is about education of younger people. We visited Brest Fortress and have the most profound impressions. We were raised on all of this. But this is the first such opportunity in my life. Our children must be raised together within the unified paradigm.”
In terms of economic cooperation between Belarus and Mordovia, the highest trade volume in the period since 2020 was recorded in 2023, reaching $161.6 million. Last year, the figure was nearly $134 million, with Belarusian exports totaling nearly $39 million, an increase of 3.7% over 2023.
Artem Zdunov also noted that the delegation's visit coincided with the Week of Parental Love, which is running in Belarus. In this regard, he highlighted the importance of raising the younger generation in the spirit of traditional values. "For us, these are fundamental issues now. Everything we repair, build, and do is for future generations. This is simply about the physical existence of our future generation, about the birth rate and demography. And the second issue is about education of younger people. We visited Brest Fortress and have the most profound impressions. We were raised on all of this. But this is the first such opportunity in my life. Our children must be raised together within the unified paradigm.”
In terms of economic cooperation between Belarus and Mordovia, the highest trade volume in the period since 2020 was recorded in 2023, reaching $161.6 million. Last year, the figure was nearly $134 million, with Belarusian exports totaling nearly $39 million, an increase of 3.7% over 2023.
From January to August of this year, the trade amounted to approximately $64 million. Belarus’ major exports were ethylene polymers, machinery and appliances for lifting, moving, loading, or unloading, and meat and edible poultry offal. Imports were primarily insulated wires, cables, and aluminum and copper wire.