Belarus and Kazakhstan must use the opportunities of the Customs Union for mutual benefit - A.Rubinov

July 16, Minsk /Ekaterina Nechaeva - BELTA/. Belarus and Kazakhstan should use the opportunities of the Customs Union for mutual benefit. This opinion was expressed by the Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Anatoly Rubinov today at a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Belarus Anatoly Smirnov, BELTA correspondent reports. The Chairman of the Council of the Republic is convinced that the Customs Union opens up new opportunities for the two countries to intensify trade and economic cooperation and to develop joint ventures more intensively. He believes that the Customs Union "will be a new stage in the development of relations between Belarus and Kazakhstan," especially since "all barriers have now been removed." Anatoly Rubinov emphasized the mutual economic interest of the two countries, noting that Kazakhstan has "a trade window to the East, and Belarus has one to the West," which creates additional economic opportunities and advantages. He also specifically noted the close and fraternal relations between Belarus and Kazakhstan, citing his personal experience as an example: in his student years, Anatoly Rubinov visited Kazakhstan, like many young students, to develop the virgin lands, and during his scientific activities, he visited Almaty University, whose scientists, for example, were the first to conduct experiments on the use of low-intensity laser radiation in medicine. Anatoly Smirnov, in turn, noted the friendly relations between the two states and their leaders, informing that a visit of the President of Belarus to Kazakhstan is planned for this year. The diplomat shares the opinion that the Customs Union will bring mutual benefit and advantage to the peoples of Belarus and Kazakhstan and "will play for the good" of the countries and peoples. He stressed that in 5 months of this year, the trade turnover between Belarus and Kazakhstan increased by more than 57% compared to the same period last year, and expressed hope that this trend will continue in the future. Kazakhstan ranks third in the volume of Belarus's foreign trade with CIS countries after Russia and Ukraine. High-value-added goods and high-tech products are mainly exported from Belarus to this country's market. The basis of imports from Kazakhstan includes rolled metal, wheat, barley, cotton fiber, electric batteries, and other products. -0-